Back From the Ledge
by TheOnlyJenThatCounts
Summary: Katerina Dumbledore is the mischievous granddaughter of Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall with unknown power and the lucky witch with a SoulBond. Enter a world of love, pain, and adventure as Kat and her friends try to survive the Second Wizarding War.
1. Beginning of the End

*This is a fanfiction using Harry Potter characters. It is basically ignoring books 5-7 (using some of the content but not much) and introduces a new character of my own making: Katerina Arianna Dumbledore. This story shows mainly just the view point of Severus Snape and Katerina, but may occasionally jump to another character if the story requires it. It begins the summer before Katerina's 7th year at Hogwarts, right after the 2nd rise of Voldemort (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – Book 4).

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm just playing with the wonderful characters!

 _June 8th, 1996_

Severus Snape was not a patient man. He did not understand why Dumbledore required him to attend dinner at headquarters every other meeting. Why would he want to be surrounded by so many blundering idiots for hours on end? Albus said that he believed that Severus should become more _social._ Severus, on the other hand, had assumed that Albus just wanted to have another way to torture him more than he already was. Anyone that met Severus Snape knew within seconds that he was not a social person.

He apparated to the top step of 12 Grimwald Place and took a minute to psychologically prepare himself for what would no doubt leave him with a horrendous headache by the nights end. Opening the door and stepping inside, he swiftly proceeded down to the kitchen where he found the Weasley matriarch yelling at the two twin menaces.

"How many times do I have to tell you _not_ to transfigure Ronald's things to become spiders?" Molly screamed, brandishing her wand.

"Mum, you don't understand," started Fred (well, he supposed it was Fred), "We didn't transfigure anything!"

"Yeah," joined George, "He ate some of our new candies we are working on…" Before he could finish, Molly started screaming again.

"Are you doing more experiments in your rooms? Arthur, are you hearing this?"

Arthur Weasley had just walked into the kitchen and Severus could tell that he instantly regretted his decision to enter the room. He gave a small nod to Severus, who simply stared at him in return. "What did you make now?" He asked the twins.

"Well it's only a new candy," said Fred.

"That causes you to see things," added George.

"Become your greatest fear," finished Fred.

Severus was actually quite impressed with this, though no one would have ever guessed it. _They found a way to imitate the effects of a boggart,_ he thought. He could not think of any potion that could have accomplished such a feat and while the twins were talented pranksters and decent at potions, they lacked the skill necessary for such a potion creation. "Molly, I have a feeling that these two dunderheads did not act…alone in this endeavor," Severus drawled.

Molly, who had been so focused on disciplining the twins, jumped in surprise at Severus' voice, almost dropping the pan she was now holding, "Oh hello Severus, I didn't see you come in." Turning towards the twins, "Who did you brainwash into helping you?"

"We didn't brainwash anyone…"

"…She was more than willing to help…"

"We only hinted at what it should do…"

"…Kat came up with the potion…"

"…and we made it candies."

Severus smirked as he thought of the third party of what was known as the Terrible Trio at Hogwarts. Katerina Dumbledore was a force to be reckoned with. Not only did she have the intelligence to match Hermione Granger but she was just as mischievous as the twins. Combining the two traits plus adding the Weasley twins as her best friends and then having that damnable hat senselessly sorting them into the same house had nearly destroyed the school. He knew many professors, while very much enjoying the innovations that the trio dreamed up, were glad that this was their last year coming up.

"I should have known," Molly sighed, "I swear you three should have been triplets. Boys, start setting the table. Without magic."

"But mum, we're wizards," complained Fred.

"Of age wizards," George added.

"That just caused their youngest brother to hallucinate," Molly hissed, eyes tight with anger, "No magic."

Just then the door to the kitchen opened again and Severus had to hold in a groan as the other famous trio found their way to their seats around the large table. The youngest red-headed male and the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-A-Pain-In-Everyone's-Arse both glared at Severus as they sat as far from him as possible. The bushy-haired lone female gave him a small, polite greeting just as she always did.

"Good evening Professor."

"Miss Granger," he returned.

Looking at the Golden Trio, he took note that Potter was more disheveled in appearance than normal, as if he had not been sleeping very well. Severus could understand his difficulty. Potter himself had been present when the Dark Lord had been raised from the dead and he had witnessed a death of an innocent boy. Potter was probably blaming himself for the death of Cedric Diggery and was torturing himself over it. Severus still blamed himself for the death of Potter's parents. That was why he was here now, doing the work that Dumbledore asked him, so that he could possibly gain the forgiveness of Lily though he knew he did not deserve it.

Slowly the table began to fill up as more people arrived. The youngest Weasley, and only girl, came in while talking to Sirius Black, who promptly growled at Severus. They were followed by Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, Remus trying to seem interested in whatever the metamorphmagus was telling him. The last to arrive for the dinner were Albus Dumbledore and his wife, Minerva McGonagall. It was a small showing for dinner this week, but Severus knew more would be joining them later for the Order Meeting.

"Ah Albus, will Wulf and Julia be joining us for dinner? We never heard back from them," Molly asked.

"No, not dinner I'm afraid," Albus said, "Julia has a case that must be completed tonight. However they did say that they'll be here for dessert. Kat has made her fire cakes."

"Sweet!" Proclaimed Weasley-the-annoying.

"Fire cakes?" Miss Granger inquired.

"Kat makes these amazing little cakes that when you eat them you breathe fire like a dragon," Miss Weasley explained.

"And no one but Kat can make them," Potter added, "Apparently everyone has tried but only Kat gets 'em right."

"Not even Mum," one twin added, while ducking the hand of Molly.

"Speaking of Kat and her concoctions," Molly began, "Have you heard of the new potion that your granddaughter has created?"

And so began the slowest torture of his life. While dinner may not leave any pain to his body, unlike dinner with his other master, it did drain Severus mentally. _Maybe this night it will become semi-interesting_ , Severus thought as he ate. He just had no idea how interesting it would become.

* * *

Katerina Dumbledore was currently sitting in her room humming a happy muggle song while pouring through book after book of potions looking for more ideas to add to the boys' shop. They had spoken of opening it as soon as 7th year was over and thanks to Harry they now had the financial means to start their dream. Kat was hoping to join them in the adventure as soon as school was finished. She wanted to be their research and development leader. She smiled to herself as she thought of her recent potion which the twins were supposed to test tonight on their brother Ron. She was excited to find out the results of the test run and could not wait until she told them of the name she thought of: Terror Toffee. She just had to bide her time until mum was done working so they could go meet up with everyone.

 _Maybe I will get some alone time with Fred,_ she thought with a slight blush. She knew that her hair was slowly changing pink as she thought back to the day when he first kissed her. Kat and her parents had just arrived home from a short holiday in the United States during the small spring break they had been given from school right before the last task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament and they had gone down to the Burrow for dinner the night before returning to school. She was telling them about a new potion she was hoping to create due to embarrassment.

 _~~Flashback~~_

 _"So tell us about the States, Kat," Ginny had said._

 _"It was so much fun," Kat exclaimed, "We actually spent a lot of time with muggles and learning what they do with things. I wish it could have been longer than a few days. Have you ever heard of the cinema? It's amazing, moving pictures that tell a story and it is so exciting what they can do without magic. They have some in muggle London and we have to go! Oh and wait until I show you these things called CDs – they hold music in them somehow." She blushed as Hermione and Harry laughed._

 _"You sound like dad," Ron stated._

 _"Well the muggles have such amazing ways to get around what we use magic for," Kat replied, "I would love it if I could spend more time with them before mum and dad oblivate them."_

 _"He saw your hair turn bright pink then green and he did not seem to take it very well," her father said._

 _"It's not my fault that my hair changes color," Kat said, her hair flashing blood red, "It's also not my fault it happened then. I was doing very good keeping my emotions down and my potion was working really well, I just didn't take into account extreme emotions."_

 _"New potion?" George asked._

 _"What extreme emotions?" Fred asked._

 _"I'm developing a potion that will hopefully mask my_ Affectus et capillus _and so far it will work for a few hours, but apparently doesn't work if I experience large bursts of emotions."_

 _"Not to mention it has some nasty side effects. It caused her magic to be suppressed," her mother added, "Which is why we got rid of all the batches you have and we will know if you try anymore."_

 _"Mum, every new potion has kinks to work out," Kat stated, her hair going green with embarrassment, "I need to work this all out. I don't need every person in the world knowing exactly how I feel."_

 _"You just need to accept it sweetheart," her dad said, "Eventually you will gain control over it for the most part. Your grandmother did."_

 _"Let's see how you handle your hair going bright pink when you receive your first kiss!" yelled Kat, the bright red returning to her head._

 _"First kiss?" Ginny sighed, "You must tell us about it!"_

 _Suddenly to the surprise of everyone, Fred stormed out of the Burrow, though George had a knowing look on his face. Kat's hair quickly went from red to white to a deep blue. "I'll be right back," she told everyone and walked out the door to find Fred. She found him standing by the garden looking for gnomes to take his anger out on. She got to his side just as a he threw one across the yard. "Nice throw, that one probably won't wander back for at least a day or two."_

 _"So a kiss with an American muggle, huh?" he scowled. Kat didn't understand why he was so angry with her he was the one who seemed to have given up._

 _"You have no right to be mad at me," Kat hissed, "I didn't ask for him to kiss me, I wasn't expecting him to kiss me, and I certainly didn't want him to kiss me."_

 _"Then why did you get so embarrassed by it?" Fred asked._

 _"I was embarrassed by my hair," Kat sighed, her hair finally going back to white, "Can you imagine having nearly every emotion broadcasted to the world if you feel something too strongly? Trust me I didn't have feelings for Brad like that."_

 _"Brad? What type of name is Brad?"_

 _"A normal, American muggle name. Now why did you storm out of the house?"_

 _"I…well I…" Fred stammered, for once lost for words, "I thought after the Ball that we'd come to an agreement."_

 _"An agreement?!" Kat yelled her hair a blood red and starting to spark, "You asked me to the dance, we had a great time, and then you left me in the common room! You didn't speak to me for almost two weeks! And then you acted as if everything was all ok! I had multiple people ask me what was wrong and it's not like I could hide anything as my stupid hair was flashing between blue and black."_

 _"Kat, I didn't want to hurt you and I didn't think you'd want more than friendship and I can't lose you as a friend," Fred said softly, "I care about you too much to want to mess this up."_

 _"Dammit Fred! How could you not know? I started creating the hair controlling potion because of you! Did you ever stop to wonder why my hair kept turning bloody pink when you flirted with me?"_

 _"I didn't want to be wrong and screw this all up."_

 _"Why didn't you just ask me?!"_

 _Fred had the decency to look ashamed. He looked down at his feet and then slowly glanced back up. "I know I was an idiot but… but he shouldn't have been your first kiss…"_

 _"No he shouldn't have," Kat replied, "you should have."_

 _Kat saw the surprise in his eyes as he finally turned to her, and then she saw something else. Determination. Lust. Need. A quick glance up at her hair and suddenly he was coming to her. Looking down, she saw that her hair was now pink with streaks of red flashing through it. She was feeling the same want, the same need. He took her face gently in his hands and tilted her head up. "Are you sure we should cross this line?" he asked, looking in her eyes for anything in the negative._

 _"Yes," whispered Kat, as she lifted to her toes to close the gap and bring her lips to his. In an instant, their magic seemed to swell and grow, washing over both of them and leaving them breathless. The kiss had awakened something that neither understood, but both knew they would never be without again as long as they held each other. What Kat didn't know at the time was that this was her magic recognizing and beginning the Soulmate Bond. Katerina Dumbledore was one of the few that had found their true soulmate and it would change her life._

~~ _End Flashback_ ~~

They had only been dating since Spring break and they hadn't told anyone besides George about their relationship. They both wanted to go slowly, both being terrified they would ruin their friendship. Katerina was brought out of her daydream by a sudden high pitched scream from downstairs. Quickly grabbing her wand, she raced down the stairs calling out as she went, "Mum? Dad?" She could hear scuffling inside the sitting room. Slowly she inched towards the parlor doors. "Mum?"

"Kat! Run!" Her mother screamed.

She started to turn back but these were her parents and they needed her. She would not run from them. Wand held in front of her, she determinedly walked to the sitting room and opened the doors. What she saw in front of her made her heart drop into her stomach. Her beautiful mother was being restrained to the wall of the room, blood dripping down from her curly black hair. On the floor of the room, lay her father curled into a tight ball, obviously shaking from pain. Standing above him, their wands pointed at him, were three people with dark robes and strange masks. _Death eaters,_ Kat thought, her hair going black with fear, _There are death eaters in my home._ Kat did not believe she was breathing.

"No," her mother whispered, tears running down her face, "Kat, run, please run baby, please."

One of the concealed group looked up at her, "Ah, now you'll tell us what we want, seeing as we now have your beautiful, _innocent_ daughter with us. Come here darling, we don't bite," a womanly voice called. When Kat made no movement, the woman growled "Immobulus."

"No!"

Kat felt as her body became unable to move and she became useless. She knew in that brief hesitation that she had messed up. She should have cast something as soon as she saw them but instead she had froze. And because of that, her family would die. Tears started falling down her face as she was forced to watch what happened.

"Alright Wulf, unless you want to watch your daughter be tortured to death, you better start talking," the woman began speaking again, "Maybe we will let her live…if your information is good enough."

"Don't you touch her you psychotic bitch!" screamed Kat's mum. She had never heard her mother curse before.

"Silencio!" a male voice yelled, "You know maybe we should show the blood traitor who he is dealing with. For encouragement."

"You're right," purred the woman, "We really only need one of the women." She pointed her wand at Kat's mum and happily called out, "Avada Kedavra!"

"NO!" Both Kat and her dad screamed out. Devastation was on her father's face as her mother's eyes became blank and staring, her body tumbling to the floor like a doll. "Mum, no! Please no!"

"Wulfric, start talking, or little miss crybaby is next."

"Dad no! Whatever they want, don't do it!" Kat yelled, her blue hair mixing with red and black, "He can't win! He can't!"

"Such bravery," the witch hissed, "Such stupidity. _Crucio!_ "

Kat screamed. She felt as if her entire body was being broken in half. She was being consumed by fire and she wished for death to free her. Her bladder released, soaking her underwear and running down her legs. The only thing keeping her on her feet was the spell that was keeping her from being able to move. Just as she was on the brink of unconsciousness, she felt the spell lifted.

"Good choice Wulfy," crooned the witch.

It hadn't mattered that her father talked because in the end he was still given the killing curse, but not before they had told him what they were going to do to his daughter. They planned to leave Kat alive, but as broken as humanly possible. It felt like it had been hours, and Kat was amazed she wasn't dead yet. They had taken everything from her and everything felt like it was bleeding. Right before she slipped completely into the peaceful silence her mind screamed one last thought, _FRED!_ Then Kat knew no more.

* * *

"Now where in the world is Wulf?" Minerva asked. They had finished dinner and Molly was having the twins clean up, again without magic.

"Don't worry my dear," Albus said, "they probably just lost track of time."

Severus was trying very hard to stay awake. "Could we please get this over with? Some of us have jobs to be doing."

"Eager to get back to your dungeon, bat?" Black smirked.

"At least I can leave my home, dog," Severus growled, "Do you enjoy being the Orders'….pet?"

Black jumped up going for his wand but before he could do anything all hell broke loose. _FRED!_ Severus flinched at the screamed name and its intensity. At the same time across the room, Fred Weasley dropped a pile of plates to the floor.

"Kat!" Fred yelled, looking extremely pained.

"Fred dear, are you alright?" Molly asked, worried.

"Didn't you hear her? Kat screamed! We have to help her!" Fred exclaimed, while everyone else looked on in confusion. George stopped what he was doing and place his hands on his brother trying to calm the other down.

 _So no one but Mr. Weasley and I heard her call. I wonder what that means._ Severus thought to himself.

"Mum, I need my wand. We need to go now! She's being hurt!" Fred cried.

"Fred, honey, no one heard anything. I'm sure Kat is just…"

"She's NOT fine!" Fred was frantic, starting to pull his hair, his eyes wide. He looked at Albus and Minerva, who both looked concerned, "Please help her, please! She's dying!" At this statement, everyone in the room began to get nervous.

Dumbledore quickly went into general mode. "I'm sure it's nothing," trying to reassure the younger generation, "but we will go check just in case. Arthur, Remus, Tonks, and Severus come with me."

"I'm coming too" Fred said. He was joined by a few "me too", "and me", and "yes" from the other Weasley children, Potter, and Granger.

"No you will not!" Shrieked Molly, "If there is something wrong, you lot will not be there to get in the way!"

"Mum, I have to go," Fred whispered.

"We are wasting time Mr. Weasley. If Miss Dumbledore is in peril, you being quarrelsome with your mother will only quicken her demise," Severus commented, "And no," he turned to the other children in the room, "we do not require any subpar assistance from any juveniles, no matter how _famous_." Leaving a group of extremely mad adolescents in the care of Molly, Severus headed to the apparition step, the other adults following.

"Albus, do you really think something has happened?" Tonks questioned.

For once Severus did not see the ever present twinkle in the old man's eye. Albus looked angry, worried and…scared? With a fear in his voice that Severus had not heard before, he answered with a quiet "Yes."


	2. Into the Black

* **Note from the author** : This is a very short chapter - sorry about that! But don't worry, I have the entire story completed I'm just editing and playing with format on this site. Would you rather have it all at once or a chapter or two a day? I have no idea what I'm doing honestly. Also, let me know if there is anything anyone wants explained, I'd love to have feedback as this is my first ever fanfiction.

Disclaimer: Again I sadly own none of this.

Warning: This chapter does elude to violence and rape, though it is not described. Please be aware that this story does have an M rating for a reason!

 **Chapter 2 – Into the Black**

The five Order members quickly apparated to Dumbledore Hill which had been so cleverly coined by the youngest Dumbledore when she was five. Dumbledore manor was designed to look like a small castle that was complete with turrets and ramparts. On the outside it seemed towering and foreboding but strangely welcoming. Unlike the Weasley home located just down the hill, Dumbledore Manor had exact measurements and everything had a spot. All the turrets were the same size, located an exact distance away from each other. The front gardens had plants of all colors, meticulously groomed to perfection, giving off a pleasant smell into the air and making the stone castle cheerful on a regular day.

Severus had only visited the home a few times and only while on Order missions. He knew that the Dumbledores had an impressive library that he had wished to explore but never had reason to step into. It was also rumored that Wulfric had built Katerina her own Potions laboratory that rivaled his own at Hogwarts. Apparently encouraging young witches and wizards to engage in activities that could result in an agonizing death was not just for the Headmaster, it ran in the family.

Today the house was no longer welcoming and cheerful. Now it seemed dark and menacing, the tall towers glooming over the garden which had seemingly lost its beautiful colors. Severus looked up into the night sky and swore.

"No," whispered Remus, who was standing behind Severus and holding onto the arm of a teary eyed Nymphadora.

Moving through the clouds above the Dumbledore residence was the Dark Mark. Severus gave a glance to Albus who surprisingly had a blank face as he took everything around them in. Severus knew that look. Albus was covering his emotions using occlumency. Severus did it himself when facing the Dark Lord or was required to commit something unpleasant.

"We go in quietly," Albus commanded, "Find Wulf, Julia and Kat. Contain any Death Eaters that may still be lurking about."

The other four nodded and slowly followed Albus up the path, wands held ready to fight. It appeared that the front door was completely blown off its hinges. Stepping over the threshold, Severus took in the damage. The entranceway floor was covered in dust and scorched but everything else remained as before. Albus decided to split them up in order to find the family quicker. Tonks, Remus, and Arthur took the upstairs floors. Albus and Severus stayed on the ground floor. Albus went to the right through a large archway that Severus knew led to the kitchen and study rooms. Severus began on the left in the library.

He gave a small gasp when he opened the doors to the massive room – it could almost revival the library at Hogwarts. He wished that he was there for a happier reason so that he could take his time to look at the treasure trove of books but sadly that was not the case. Sighing he continued on his mission to find the family. Swiftly determining that there was no one in the library hiding amongst the volumes, Severus made his way to the closed double doors that led to the main sitting room. He had to push on the doors hard to get them to move and he soon discovered that there was a body blocking the entrance. Wulfric Dumbledores' cold, staring eyes looked back up at him. Severus quickly produced a Patronus to bring the others to the room. Across to his left, he discovered Julia, her slender body thrown against the wall her eyes also open with a lifeless gaze. Then he heard it, the smallest moan, so slight that at first he thought he was hearing things. Looking to the opposite doors of the room was a bloody, misshapen mound that took him a while to comprehend that he was looking at Katerina. The young girl had her arms and legs bound; her snow white hair tangled and matted to her head with blood.

Rushing to her side, he heard as the others joined him, Tonks dropping to her knees crying, while Remus held her. Albus came over to Severus, still occluding his emotions to stay strong. "Is she alive?"

"I believe so, but not by much," Severus said as he started to run basic diagnostics on Katerina. "It is amazing that she is breathing, we need to get her help as soon as possible." Looking at her, Severus was confused as to why they used a spell to contain her arms but used rope to contain her legs. Taking a closer look, he felt as his dinner threatened to return, "Merlin, that's not rope," he whispered. They hadn't used rope to bind her legs that was her underwear he was looking at. Bloodied, matted, ripped underwear. And there was blood running down her leg from underneath the pale yellow summer dress that Katerina was wearing. _Those fiends have broken her_. Severus thought, hatred burning strong in his stomach.

"Severus and Arthur, go back to the burrow and get Kingsley, he should be there by that point. Tell Minnie to meet me at St. Mungos. Tonks and Remus, I need you to stay here and guard the…"Albus' voice broke and he struggled to continue, "guard my family until the Aurors get here." Albus very gently picked his granddaughter off the floor and carefully carried her to the fireplace, threw in floo powder and walked through, "St. Mungos." and with that the Headmaster disappeared.

"Are you going to be ok to stay here?" Arthur asked Tonks and Remus, who both sadly nodded,  
"Let's get going Severus."

Severus glanced again at the bodies of Wulfric and Julia, wishing they had moved faster or that they had gotten the call sooner. Severus was also worried about the fact that he had not been clued in on this mission from the Dark Lord. Why had the Dark Lord not told him of this attack? Did he suspect Severus? Was this going to be a common occurrence? Thinking about the horrible turn of events that had just occurred, Severus apparated with Arthur back to HQ trying to prepare himself once again to deal with breaking the bad news.

As Severus and Arthur walked through the front door, Severus could hear all of the people downstairs in the kitchen. Apparently everyone was waiting up for the news. Walking into the kitchen, he saw that everyone was as they had left them, only being joined by Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt. At once, everyone began talking and asking questions.

"Is she ok?"

"What happened?

"Where is everyone else?"

"Are they ok?"

"Be quiet!" Severus yelled. The room became deathly still. "Kingsley, we need Aurors at Dumbledore Hill immediately. Minerva, you must meet Albus at St. Mungos." However, his statement made more people talk.

"Why Aurors?"

"What happened?"

"IS SHE OK?"

"Severus," Minerva quietly said, "please tell me what happened? Is my family ok?"

"I'm so sorry Minerva," Severus whispered, but all could hear him. Molly was the first to start crying, and then Ginny and Hermione followed. Potter was growing madder but it was Fred Weasley that demanded answers.

"Dad, what did you find?" Fred demanded, "You need to tell us. What happened?"

Looking lost for how to say it, Arthur exhaled, "When we got there, the Dark Mark was over the house," multiple gasps, followed by Molly crying louder, "Minnie I'm so sorry, Wulfric and Julia are dead."

Minerva closed her eyes and swayed for a moment before quieting asking, "What of Kat?"

"Katerina is alive, but just barely," Severus explained, "She has been badly beaten, Albus has taken her to St. Mungos'."

"Will she live?" Fred asked through tears. His twin had already made his way over to him and put his hand on his shoulder, staring stonily at the man speaking.

"Honestly, I don't know," Severus said, "But she is a strong young girl, if anyone can survive this, she will. Minnie, come with me, we must meet Albus."

Many hours later, Severus returned to headquarters to update the Order and hopefully get a few hours rest before he was called by the Dark Lord. He knew that he would be called soon. Walking into the kitchen he met was met with Black, Lupin and the Weasley parents who were still awake. They barely gave him a glance before looking back to their drinks. Molly got up and got Severus a cup of tea and some biscuits. Severus thanked her and looked to the others.

"Will Katerina live?" Sirius asked, worried about the fate of his great-niece. Severus always found that story interesting of how Sirius' twin sister had gone back in time while pregnant and had gotten stuck. It resulted in Sirius' niece being the same age as him and his sister being twenty years his senior, at least she was until the Dark Lord had her murdered.

"The healers believe so, but they will not know for sure until she wakes up," Severus said.

"What did they do to her?"

"You don't want to know."

"Yes I do bat," Black growled, "Unlike you, I actually care about my family. Tell me what happened to my niece."

"Katerina was subjected to the Cruciatus Curse for hours, she had three broken ribs, both hands broken and twisted, and she was…" Severus stopped, unable to say the word, "violated against her will."

"They raped her?" Black screamed, throwing his mug against the far wall. "A child?!"

"Padfoot, be quiet!" Lupin said, "We don't want to wake everyone up. Kat is a strong young girl, and she has a strong group of friends and supporters. We will make sure that she gets through this."

Everyone became quiet again, all wondering how the youngest Dumbledore would pull through her world coming to an end. Molly looked up first as they all heard a quiet sound coming from the other side of the door. Arthur got up and opened the door, where a crying Fred Weasley stood. Severus was stunned when he collapsed against his father and just sobbed, not saying a word. He had never seen the normally cheerful teenager completely lose it like this before. Molly got up and wrapped her arms around the boy and slowly walked him back upstairs. Arthur came back to the table and sat, looking at his hands.

"Hermione figured it out," he started, "why Fred could hear her cry out. Soulmates. Katerina and Fred are soulmates that have started the Soulmate Bond. Apparently they've been dating for a few months and had felt their magic swell the first time they kissed. Tonight her soul cried out to his," with that Arthur finally broke down and cried.

 _Soulmates?_ Severus thought, _but then how did I hear her?_


	3. Back to Hogwarts

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

 **Chapter 3 – Return to Hogwarts**

August 9th, 1996

"Are you ready to get out of here, Kat?" Ginny asked as she was helping Kat get back into normal clothing. Ginny was watching Kat with anxious eyes, the same eyes that everyone looked at her. It had been two months since her world had come crashing down. She had spent the first month in a coma, unable to talk or see but she could hear everything everyone said around her. It was torturous. When she finally came to, all she saw was bright white sheets and worried faces. No one would tell her anything about that night, not until her grandfather had come with the Aurors and asked if they could view her memories of the attack. It was as if a door had been opened and the memories suddenly flooded into her mind. Watching her parents being murdered, the pain and fire of the Cruciatus Curse, and the man on top her, grunting and thrusting. What she had hoped to give to Fred a long time down the road was ripped from her by a murderous stranger. She had reacted so badly to the sudden flood of memories that she had had to be restrained magically and forced to take calming potions. Her grandfather had made the decision to have that memory removed from her mind and stored in a vial to help control her emotions. She would still remember everything that had happened but the memory was blurry so it was easier for Kat to handle.

"Sure," Kat replied. It didn't matter if she was here or at Hogwarts with her grandparents, her life was still over as she saw it. She was the reason why her parents didn't live that night, her inaction to fight and save her parents was why she was now an orphan. Why she was now going to be alone.

Ginny moved to the door and opened it to let the others know that Kat was now dressed and ready. Fred was the first one in the door, quickly followed by her grandmother and grandfather. Fred moved to her side, grabbing her hand. Kat slipped her hand out of his and moved out the door, trying to not think too much. _I can't be his anymore. How could he want someone so broken?_ Katerina thought.

"Let's get you to Hogwarts," grandmother said, "We've asked the castle to add a room to our quarters. Once the term begins, we can see about you going back into the dorms with the others, or you could have your own room if you want."

"Whatever you want gram," Kat replied. As they passed a mirror in the hall on the way to the floos Kat noticed her hair still remained as it had the day that she finally woke up, dark blue with grey streaks running through it. It hadn't changed since, but Kat wasn't surprised. She just didn't feel anything other than a perpetual sadness and depression. Gram wanted her to see a mind healer but Kat didn't think it would help. She noticed that Fred had stopped by her side and was waiting for her to begin walking again. She sighed and began to follow her grandparents.

She started thinking about what Fred had told her and how they had come to know she was in danger. Soulmates. They were soulmates and had started the Bond. Kat had come across the Bond while reading before and knew that it was very rare for people to actually find their true soulmates. She only knew of one pair of Bonded soulmates: Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. True soulmates meant that once the Bond was completed (through consensual intimacy) then the magic of the pair was merged together. From her understanding, a Bonded soulmate pair supported each other, so when one was sick the other gave them strength and they could feel each other's emotions. They could borrow each other's magic in times of extreme need. It also meant that when one of the pair died, the other died with them, which would be extremely romantic if it took age into consideration – the Soulmate Bond did not care if the soulmated pair was young or old; if one dies the other immediately follows. The only thing that kept them from dying is if one of the pair formally rejected or rescinded the Bond, which would leave the other in an everlasting saddened life.

The thought that Fred was her soulmate made her heart sing but it also terrified her. What if he no longer wanted to be her soulmate? What if she was too broken for him? Kat had also read that once a soul finds its' true mate and connects with them, if the Bond is not completed or is rejected by the other, a soul can never find true happiness again. If Fred was the one to reject her, his soul would heal but hers would not be able to. Would Fred reject her now that she was not pure? Could he still want to love her? Kat was too scared to ask and she was beginning to think that the Soul Bond was more a curse than anything else.

"Hey," Fred looked over at her, "I know you've been through a lot and I know you need some space, but I want you to know that we are all here for you. I'm here for you."

"Thank you," Kat replied looking down at her feet.

"What are you thinking about?"

"We're soulmates, right?"

"Yes," Fred said smiling a goofy grin, as if it was the best thing he'd heard.

"Well," Kat started, her eyes tearing up already, "what if I'm too broken and I can't be healed? Will you still want to be Bonded to me? A shell of a human?"

"Katerina Dumbledore, you are not broken," Fred said seriously, turning her to face him. Her grandparents and Ginny stopped walking but gave them some space. "You may be hurting right now, but I will help you heal. I will be here by your side until the day I die, even if you have to chase me out of the room at wandpoint. Deep down you know that you are meant to be with me and that will never change. You are my soulmate and I am yours, and no one, _no one_ , will change that."

Kat didn't know what to say to that. She had never heard Fred talk so seriously to someone. It made her feel important and loved. She threw her arms around his waist and hugged him as hard as she could. She could feel him lower his lips to her ear and she felt her heart melt as she heard him whisper, "Katerina, I love you. I always will."

Turning back to her grandparents to start back to Hogwarts, Katerina thought to herself that maybe she could do this. Maybe it wasn't all completely gone. Then she thought of her parents and what happened and all that happiness she just felt went flying by faster than a golden snitch.

Everyone was driving Kat crazy. No one would leave her the hell alone. They had returned to Hogwarts and for it being summer vacation, the place was packed. All the Weasleys were there minus Charlie, as were Harry and Hermione and pretty much the entire damn Order. Everyone was asking how she was doing and what could they do for her and if she needed anything. Dammit what she needed was some space. Some time away from everyone. She didn't even want to be near Fred or George right now. Just away.

 _If only I could fly, then no one would be able to stop me_ , Kat thought. They were all having dinner in the Great Hall and apparently everyone was staying for the night as a welcome back to the world type of thing for Kat. Kat wasn't even allowed to sleep in her new room alone, Ginny and Hermione were to sleep there too. _I guess they all worry I'm going to go off myself now._ No one seemed to notice how many times Kat looked at the door longingly or how many times she stared off into space not hearing a thing around her. At least she thought no one noticed.

"Miss Dumbledore, I believe I found some things that may be of assistance to you tonight," Professor Snape came out of nowhere, his face unreadable as he handed her a small bag, "if you get caught, I trust you'll leave my name out of your confession lest you want to begin your term in detention." And just like that he was gone.

Katerina peered into the bag. _Oh Merlin, thank you Professor_ , thought Kat as she pulled the Decoy Detonators out of the sack. She had no idea how he had come about any of them as the boys had just finished developing them but she didn't care. She looked around and then carefully put two on the ground to go in separate directions. She watched as they scuttled away from her, Kat slowly backing her way to an exit. Suddenly loud bangs and clouds of dark smoke were filling the hall, taking everyone by surprise. She should feel slightly guilty seeing as they may assume they were being under attack, but she needed to get away. Kat turned and ran as if an angry hippogriff was after her.

Within minutes she was out the front doors of the school and racing down the stairs. She ran down the pathway, rushing past the black lake and over the large hill, to her secret spot. There was a place near the edge of the perimeter were two large willows grew and if you walked straight through a certain entanglement of draping leaves, you came out on the other side into a beautiful peaceful garden. The best part about the garden however, was if you said a special chant while touching one of the identical tree trunks, the entrance to the garden closed itself to all but the inhabitant. Crossing over to the bench in the middle, Kat sat down and cried. It was too much, just too much all at once and no one understood. _Well almost no one. Professor Snape understood just fine._

* * *

 _She needs an escape. None of these morons understand what she wants or needs only what they want_. Severus thought to himself. He could see it in the poor girls' eyes and the way that they glossed over when someone talked to her or the way that she was inching closer to the doors. He could tell that she needed to escape from the torment of confinement and he wanted to help her. For reasons unknown to himself, he had always been drawn to the girl. He had always been amused by her trickster ways (though he would deny it), intrigued by her logic and reasoning for things, and downright impressed by her mastery of potions and charms. He knew that if she continued on the path she was going, she was going to be an amazing potioneer.

"Miss Dumbledore, I believe I found some things that may be of assistance to you tonight," Severus quietly said as he handed her a small bag, "If you get caught, I trust you'll leave my name out of your confession lest you want to begin your term in detention." She looked at him with large eyes and then looked down at the bag. Severus turned and walked off to find a spot so he could take in the chaos that was hopefully about to happen. Severus watched as Katerina opened the bag and as she realized what was inside, he could see the relief that ran onto her face as she looked around her. Slowly she backed away as she set two black things on the ground. They scuttled a few feet and then BANG! Everyone was yelling and screaming.

"Stop!" the twins yelled, "It's just our Decoy Dentonators! There is no attack!"

When the yelling and screaming finally died down, someone had the sense to clear the air with a spell and made the black clouds of smoke disappear. Everyone in the hall was looking around trying to figure out who had dropped the Decoys. It was Miss Granger who realized who was missing. "Hey, what happened to Kat?" she asked. And with that simple question, the yelling and chaos began again.

* * *

"You scared us half to death young lady! How could you do that? To create such a ruckus and disappear in the middle of it!" Katerina had never heard her grandmother so angry. "What if something had happened to you? I cannot lose you too, I cannot!"

"I'm sorry Gram, I really am," Kat tried to explain, "but it was too much. Everyone was constantly talking to me and asking me questions and I just couldn't do it. I just needed to be alone and no one will let me be alone."

"Katerina, you must understand that we need to know you are safe," her grandfather started, "You must know how worried we are about you."

Kat sighed. She did understand how worried they were as all they talked about was her safety and her mental state and how concerned they were about her. "I know, grandfather, but you need to understand my side also. I haven't had a moment to myself since I woke up in that horrible bed. I'm surprised I'm allowed to go to the bathroom alone."

"I know my sweet, I know," he said with sad eyes, "then we will give you as much time as you need as long as you can agree with a few rules to put us at ease as well. You cannot leave Hogwarts grounds or go into the Forest but other than that you have free roam until school term begins. Molly will be coming to get you on the Saturday before term to take you to Diagon Alley with everyone else, we thought that you'd enjoy some time with your friends rather than us old people. Now before we all head off to bed, is there anything else you need?"

"Yes, grandfather, when may I go see my parents? I would like t-to talk to t-them."

Wiping a tear from her eye, her grandmother answered her, "We can go tomorrow morning if you are up for it. We had them buried in the family plot, together next to Wulfs' brothers."

"Thank you gram. Goodnight everyone."

Katerina did not sleep that night. She tossed and turned, read books, and even counted sheep as Hermione said the muggles did but nothing helped bring sleep to her eyes. All she could think of was her parents and what went wrong. What would she say to them? Would they be able to hear her?

Early the next morning, Kat stumbled out of the room and down to the great hall, grumbling to herself that she should have accepted the Dreamless Sleep when Gram had offered it. When she walked in, she noticed that she was the first to be awake and she sighed with gratefulness that she could have a little peace with her tea. An hour later, people began to slowly trickle into the room and sit down for their breakfast. Fred and George quickly made their way over to her table.

"Good morning,"

"Beautiful!"

"Hey boys," Kat said with a small smile, "how long are all you guys going to be at Hogwarts? I thought your mom had you staying at HQ to clean it up."

"Oh we are,"

"Leaving after breakfast I think,"

"More nasty things,"

"Hope to bug Ron with them," Fred finished.

"Speaking of which, you guys never told me how the Terror Toffee went."

"Terror Toffee?" asked George.

"I like it!" Fred exclaimed.

"It went horribly if you ask me," Ron growled as he sat down grabbing a muffin and a large plate of eggs, "Every bloody thing I looked at turned into spiders. I mean honestly what is wrong with you that you make a potion that turns things into spiders?"

"It doesn't make everyone see spiders Ronald," Hermione stated, "I thought it was actually quite genius, though a little demented. How did you do it?"

"I'm sorry but as a lead developer of Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes trademark products I cannot reveal top business secrets," Kat proclaimed, sounding extremely professional, until one twin snorted out a laugh, and Kat began laughing with them, "Truthfully I can't release information that has been used and created for the business the boys want to open up." Kat immediately felt a pang of guilt at her happiness. _What is wrong with me? I don't deserve to be happy._

"Already have her under contract," Fred said with a grin.

"She's going to make us buckets of money," George added.

"However, they do make a lot of things themselves and do the majority of product testing," Kat concluded.

"Yeah, on their little brother," complained Ron.

Breakfast went quickly as they continued to talk about the possible business that the twins wanted to open. They then started talking about the upcoming trial for Harry concerning the dementors that attacked him and his cousin at the beginning of the summer. Kat was starting to feel normal when Mrs. Weasley called for everyone to start getting ready to leave.

"Come on you lot, we have a lot of work at HQ that still needs to be done," Mrs. Weasley called.

"Kat, make sure you owl us a lot," Ginny called as she skipped over to her mother.

Everyone else gave her a hug and said short goodbyes, leaving her alone with Fred. "Hey make sure you write to me and tell me anything. If you need me, I will be here as soon as I can be." He said, taking her cheek into his palm, "I love you Katerina."

Kat still hadn't said it back and she still didn't feel like she could say it now. Not yet at least. "Please make sure you tell me how Harry's hearing goes, grandfather says he will be there to support Harry and be a witness."

"Of course," Fred said, with a small smile, "I will see you soon beautiful."

"Fred! Let's go!" Mrs. Weasley started leading a line of people out of the Great Hall and to the floo in the entranceway. Katerina looked around to find her grandmother. Today they would go and visit her parents in their final resting place.

The Dumbledore family plot was in a small wizarding village known as Godrics Hollow, which many people knew about thanks to the unfortunate demise of Harry's parents. They were buried in the same cemetery as Katerina's family, though the Dumbledores owned a crypt on the land. Walking towards the large stone building, Kat felt uncertain about what she would say to them. How could she possibly say she was sorry for letting them down? For killing them? Her grandmother was standing silently beside her, a strong and comforting presence. Her grandfather had to remain behind at Hogwarts to deal with some new crisis that had arrived by owl after breakfast.

Slowly descending into the crypt Kat felt as if she should be here with them, not walking around with life but on the other side where her parents now were. _Why did they let me live?_ She allowed her grandmother to show her the way once they were down the stairs. Katerina had never come here before, as all who were buried here died before she was born and her parents were of the belief that once the soul left the body what was in the ground was no longer their loved ones. Minutes later they had stopped walking, and there in front of her was a simple gold plaque that read: _Here lies Wulfric Alyander and Julia Katherine Black Dumbledore, beloved parents gone too soon._ Katerina felt her knees give out and she fell to the ground, tears racing down her cheeks. She felt her grandmother's hand brush her shoulder to give her strength.

Katerina took a deep breath and slowly the tears began to stop, she cleared her throat and began talking as if her parents were right in front of her, "I'm so, so sorry. I froze. I just couldn't move and then you were gone. It's my fault you're gone, I should have done something, anything but I didn't. I just froze. Completely useless. Because I couldn't move you are gone forever. Please forgive me, please. I'm just so sorry." She started crying louder and louder, her shoulders heaving up and down with great sobs. She felt strong arms wrap around her and turn her towards her grandmother's chest.

"Hush now child," the Scottish brogue was thick as her Gram spoke, "it was in no way your fault, you understand me? You could not possibly go up against three full grown fully trained dark wizards and expect to survive. It was a natural reaction my dear, dear child. Your parents do not blame you for their deaths, just like we do not blame you for their deaths. I know my Wulf and I know that he and Julia both would rather you be here talking to me than you being on the other side with them. I don't want to hear any more about how you are to blame for their deaths. Only He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his followers are to be blamed for this heinous crime." Gram pulled her up into a tight hug, "Now my sweet, let's go home."

Kat spent the remainder days before school started either in the library or down in the garden by the black lake. She did not write as much to her friends as she probably should have (though she did send Harry a congratulatory book on Quidditch tactics after she heard that he had been cleared of all charges) and she even managed to owl order her materials needed for classes so that she could cancel the trip with Mrs. Weasley to Diagon Alley. Very quickly it became the night before September 1st when all the other students would return and Katerina found that she was dreading it.


	4. The Toad and Her Minions

Disclaimer: Like before, I sadly own nothing of the Harry Potter Universe, I just like to play in it.

 **Chapter 4 – The Toad and Her Minions**

September 1st 1996

Kat's day passed swiftly and soon it was time to head down to the Great Hall for the feast. She heard, rather than saw, Fred and George before she was creamed by their arms. Smiling and hugging them back, Kat felt a weight lifting from her shoulders.

"We thought you were going to write,"

"Did you forget how to hold a quill?"

"Seriously though,"

"How are you?"

"and more importantly,"

"What's our first prank?"

Kat began laughing heartily for the first time since that summer as she pulled the boys into the Great Hall and found seats next to their friend Lee Jordan at the Gryffindor table. Looking up at her grandparents, she noticed something strange. "That's weird," she said confused.

"What is?" Fred asked, sitting beside her and slipping his fingers around hers under the table.

"That woman up there hasn't been here all month and she didn't arrive with the other professors," Kat said, looking at the woman dressed in a nauseating amount of pink, "I wonder who she is."

"She looks like a toad,"

"Who got into a fight with a cat,"

"And lost."

"It's that Umbridge woman, the one from my hearing!" Kat heard Harry proclaim a little down the table, "She works for Fudge!"

"Wait," Ron started, "Why would a ministry worker be at the school?"

Kat and Hermione exchanged looks. "Grandfather never introduced me to the new DADA professor…"

"Surely not," Hermione muttered. They all became quiet as the sorting hat sung his song, though this year it was not as cheerful and happy as it usually was. As usual the sorting went as before and like her housemates, she forced herself to cheer along as they gained new Gryffindors. Also as per usual, her grandfather's opening speech was short and quick, leading to the delicious meal that always occurred on the first night. Kat was busy listening to Fred and George explaining their new candy to Lee when Angelina got her attention.

"Hey Kat, what's with your hair?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well it's no longer crazy colors, it hasn't changed once since we got here," she stated. She could tell that most of the table got quiet as they looked at Kat for an answer.

"Oh, well, that," Kat stammered, "I guess it's just broken right now." She felt Fred's hand squeeze her thigh to give her support.

Thankfully the headmaster stood at this time to go over school news and important information. Grandfather was explaining about the forest being out of bounds for students and introducing the new teachers (she had known Hagrid was off on an important mission) when suddenly he was interrupted by the new DADA professor. Obviously the witch had been placed within the school to report back to the ministry. She made quite a boring speech about the school and its' traditions and when it came down to it, she pretty much said that things would be changing in the school, even if no one wanted them to change. Katerina looked around the hall and noticed that only the other professors and Hermione Granger seemed to understand what Professor Umbridge was blathering on about. Hermione looked at Kat and nodded, showing Kat that she wasn't the only one that was disturbed by the speech. Something bad was going to happen at the school this year, Kat just knew it.

When the feast ended, Kat joined her fellow Gryffindors on the way to Gryffindor tower. She had decided that she didn't want to sleep in her own room she wanted to sleep in the dorms and try to be as normal as possible. As she was walked out of the Great Hall, she heard the laughing and turned to see three seventh year Slytherin boys pointing at her.

"How's it feel, Princess Kat, to watch your blood traitor parents die?" one of them asked.

"I'm more curious as to how she felt to lose her _purity_ to a proper pureblood," another laughed.

Kat felt the hallway become deathly silent as many students learned for the first time what had happened. She felt Fred and George tense up and raise their wands to defend her. Before either of them could say a single hex, Kat heard a soft _Hem, hem_. They all turned to find the new professor smiling sickeningly sweet at them. "Now what do we have here?"

"They were about to hex us!" Shouted one of the Slytherins.

"Hexing?" Professor Umbridge exclaimed, "In the hallways? I do believe that that calls for detention with me tomorrow night, all three of you."

"But that's not fair!" Kat cried.

"Didn't you hear what they said to her?" Fred demanded. "It was disgusting!"

"I heard nothing, but I did see your wands raised," Umbridge said, "so detention all three of you. Tomorrow at eight. I did hear rumors, Miss Dumbledore, that you were quite the handful. I see that has been proven to be true." And with that she continued down the hall, humming a cheerful tune.

"What a miserable,"

"Little toad of a woman."

"I didn't even have my wand out," Kat complained, "and you two were only defending me. Thank you."

"Any time,"

"Any place love."

Continuing on to the tower, Kat listened as the twins made up more and more disturbing ways to put that horrible Umbridge person in her place. She was glad that they were her friends and that they would always be there to protect her. Once in the common room, Fred walked her to the bottom of the girls' dormitory and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Kat could feel the blush, thankful that her hair was broken, as she heard some catcalls coming from the other boys. "Goodnight, Princess Kat." Fred said with a mock bow, "Until tomorrow morning when I can get you into more trouble, my beautiful maiden."

Once in her room, she looked to her familiar bed and sighed. It felt good to be surrounded by friends again. Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinet were already discussing Quidditch moves, Amy Leadios was putting away her trunk, and Jasamine Trundal was looking at Kat expectantly.

"What?" Kat asked.

"Duh!" Jas exclaimed, "How long have you been with one of the twins?!" All three other girls looked up, curious as to the answer.

"Umm, five months I think," Kat replied.

"Oh that is so exciting," Alicia said. "I just knew something was going to happen after the Ball last year."

"I personally would love a go at George," Angelina said, smiling bashfully. Kat was amazed that Angelina could tell that she was with Fred without being told. Not many could tell the boys apart, including on occasion their own mum. Kat had always been able to tell them apart from the very first time they had meant when the three of them were only six years old.

 _~Flashback~_

 _Twin six year olds Fred and George Weasley were currently walking in the field next to their house trying to stay out of reach of their older brother Percy who they had hidden Always Itch Powder in his socks when they heard a loud yell. "Watch out!" The next thing they knew was a small young witch with blood red hair was crashing into them, sending them sprawling across the ground._

 _"Hey!" The twins exclaimed. They stood up and watched the girl as she pulled herself to her feet, grabbing the broom she had been riding and readjusting the bag on her back. Their eyes filled with curiosity when her hair began to turn a bright pink when she noticed the boys staring at her._

 _"I told you to watch out. It's not my fault you don't know how to listen." The girl smirked._

 _"It's more likely"_

 _"That you just"_

 _"Can't handle a broom." They laughed as the girl turned her head back and forth as they completed the sentence together. They jumped backwards when the now white haired girl held out her hand towards them._

 _"I'm Katerina, though if you want me to answer, you should stick to Kat."_

 _"I'm Fred, this is George," Fred said as he took her hand. He felt a funny sensation in his stomach when he felt her warm skin. George was looking at him strangely. Usually they took each other's names when introducing themselves to new people but for some reason Fred found that he didn't want to lie to the funny haired witch. "So what's wrong with your hair?"_

 _"Nothing's wrong with my hair!" The girl, Kat, growled at him. He stepped back again when her hair turned blood red again. "It just, well, it's linked to my emotions."_

 _"I think it's awesome," George said._

 _"It's embarrassing." Kat looked at her broom._

 _"Why do you have a broom? Our mum says we can't really ride one alone yet." Fred said._

 _"Though we may sneak out once or twice," George added with a grin._

 _"Oh this isn't really mine," Kat responded, her hair a forest green. "It's my dad's broom. I'm running away from home."_

 _"Why?" Both twins asked._

 _"Well, I did something bad and when mum gets home I'm going to be in a lot of trouble."_

 _"What did you do? Can't be as bad as what we've done before." Fred said._

 _"Well you see, I didn't want porridge this morning for breakfast and mum said I couldn't go to see my grandparents if I didn't eat properly. I got angry and said something – don't exactly remember what. Mum had a big case this morning and was distracted and I swear I didn't notice the horns or the tail until she had already stepped into the floo." Kat was rambling but when she got to the end the boys started laughing hard._

 _"You know I think we"_

 _"Are going to be"_

 _"Great friends." The twins ended together with a smile._

 _~End Flashback~_

"I'm sure George would love to know that," Kat told the chocolate skinned beauty, knowing herself that George fancied Angelina a lot but was too unsure of her feelings to jump at it.

"Kat," Amy started carefully, "We heard about what happened. We are so sorry about your parents. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"If you need any—"

"I said I'm fine thank you," Kat snapped, "I think I'm going to get some sleep. Tomorrows the first day and I'm sure it's going to be a long one." Grabbing her pajamas and toothbrush, Kat headed into the bathroom to get ready for bed. She felt bad cutting off Amy like that but she truly did not feel up to having a heart-to-heart with the other girls on the first night back. She still didn't like to think about that night and what had happened. Looking up into the mirror, she held back a sigh as she noticed the dark blue with the grey streaks. _Broken,_ she thought, _I'm still broken._

* * *

Severus looked down upon the students as they entered the hall and held back a groan. He had only returned to Hogwarts that morning, having spent the majority of the summer at Malfoy Manor in the presence of the Dark Lord, under Dumbledores' orders of course. He was mentally exhausted. Having to keep your mind closed constantly around one of the greatest Legilimens in the world took a toll on a body and Severus was beginning to feel much older than his thirty-six years. He was unsurprised when introduced to Dolores Umbridge, the bothersome, squat witch with the repulsive taste in clothing. The Dark Lord was using his contacts at the ministry to make Fudge become wary around Dumbledore, what the idiot man did not realize was that while not an outright supporter of the Dark Lord, Umbridge most certainly held him and his beliefs in high regard. However, as Dumbledore told him, there was nothing to be done about the appointment; it was either hire Umbridge for DADA or the school would lose their financial backing from the ministry, effectively causing it to close.

Pinching his nose to relieve the tension he felt as the new first years were escorted into the hall for sorting, he glanced around at the tables to take in who was doing what. His eyes fell down on the Gryffindor table and he noticed the hair of the youngest Dumbledore still was a deep blue with small grey streaks running through it. Normally he would not notice the hair of a teenage witch, but with Miss Dumbledore he knew that her hair was entirely linked to her emotions and from what he had been able to deduce over the many years as her professor, the dark blue was usually a representative of sadness and the grey was depression or hopelessness. He remembered when he had visited the girl at St. Mungos just weeks after the dreadful night that Albus had told him it had changed the morning after the incident before she slipped into a magical coma. Though he did not know why it concerned him, Severus felt worried about the girl. He knew that it would take months, maybe years for her to be ok with the death of her parents but she shouldn't be cut off from her emotions for that long. He made the decision to keep an eye on Katerina.

He suddenly realized why the hall had gotten quiet again and the students seemed taken back when he looked up to see Dolores standing and interrupting the Headmaster. Severus could not remember a time when someone actually interrupted Dumbledore. Minerva looked like she was going to start clawing the woman, which Severus would pay galleons to see. As Dolores waxed on about changes coming and old ways returning to the halls of Hogwarts all Severus could think about was the rumored curse set upon the DADA position and he began to wonder in what magnificent way would Dolores' tenure end.

As the feast ended and students were being lead to their dormitories, Severus began his descent into the dungeons to his quarters, hoping to find peace and quiet before being subjected to the idiocy of the student body. He shuddered as he heard Neville Longbottom complaining about losing something; the boy would have lost his own head were it not connected to his body. Trying to calculate how many cauldrons he could afford to replace before having to ban the imbecile from actually brewing potions he pushed past the students. Then he heard it, the comments that he wished he could stop but he had a role to play and that, sadly, was the bad guy when it came to the Gryffindor students.

"How's it feel, Princess Kat, to watch your blood traitor parents die?" He recognized the voice as one of his seventh year Slytherins.

"I'm more curious as to how she felt to lose her purity to a proper pureblood," another laughed.

Severus looked around to see Katerina Dumbledore, eyes wide and obviously hurting, being tucked behind Fred and George Weasley, who both had their wands out and pointed at the Slytherins who had just spoken. Severus was planning on letting them get at least one or two hexes out before stepping in to intervene until he heard a small, fake cough from the other side of the hall. _Hem, hem_. "Now what do we have here?"

"They were about to hex us!" Shouted one of the Slytherins.

"Hexing?" Professor Umbridge exclaimed, "In the hallways? I do believe that that calls for detention with me tomorrow night, all three of you."

"But that's not fair!" Kat cried.

"Didn't you hear what they said to her?" One of the twins demanded. "It was disgusting!"

"I heard nothing, but I did see your wands raised," Umbridge said, "so detention all three of you. Tomorrow at eight. I did hear rumors, Miss Dumbledore, that you were quite the handful. I see that is proven to be true." And with that she continued down the hall, humming a cheerful tune. She soon noticed Severus standing in the way and gave him a grin, "We'll put those who need it in their place this year, won't we Severus?"

"Yes, Dolores, I hope we shall," he drawled, though he was currently thinking of the different ways to poison the evil woman standing in front of him, "Now excuse me, I wish to be free of these miscreants." Turning quickly, his heavy robes billowing out behind him, Severus continued down to his quarters and let himself in. Crossing the room, he went straight to his secret stash of Odgen's best and downed a glass. Pouring himself another, he sat down on his sofa and stared into the fireplace, wishing that he could have lived a much different life.

* * *

Kat was not ready to get up and face the first day of lessons. She'd much rather stay in her bed and pretend that nothing was wrong. Forcing herself to get out from under the covers, she quickly crossed to the bathroom to prepare for the day. It took a few minutes for her to realize that she was the last one in the dorm and after performing a quick tempus she rushed down the stairs and began running through the halls, hoping she hadn't missed breakfast. Racing into the Great Hall, she saw Fred and George on their way out to her.

"Running late?" Fred asked, handing her a muffin and a cup of tea.

"Not a good start,"

"On your first day,"

"Of our greatest year yet," George finished, handing her a sheet of parchment. Looking down Kat saw that it was her timetable for her NEWT classes.

"Merlin Kat, your timetable is just as filled as Hermiones'," Lee said, passing them in the doors, "Do you plan on having a life this year?"

"It's not that many classes," Kat said as she glanced at her timetable. Okay so truthfully it was a decent amount of classes but nothing impossible. It was less than she had originally planned actually but her parents had told her to cut a few to not overwhelm herself her last year. Charms, Potions, Arithmancy, Runes, Transfiguration, DADA, and Herbology. She had wanted to Astronomy and History of Magic but she eventually decided to not continue them. She knew that she'd be able to at least pass the NEWT for History if she desired to take it anyway. She had also wanted to do Muggle studies as well, but it was the same time as NEWT Runes and she needed Runes for some of the research she was looking up currently. "What do you boys have?"

"Charms,"

"Potions,"

"DADA,"

"Transfiguration,"

"and Herbology."

"I'm taking the same, except no Potions," said Lee, "how did you lot get O's on your OWLS?"

"We are certifiable,"

"Geniuses that is,"

"What they mean, is they are best friends with Kat," a smiling Hermione came up, with a sleepy Ron and Harry following her. "Trust me, I understand."

"What are you talking about Hermione?" Ron asked, "We never use you for grades…"

Kat decided that now would be a good time to make her way to class, so sparing an encouraging look to Harry as he followed a now bickering Hermione and Ron, she bid the boys goodbye and headed off to her first class of the year, Double Runes. Getting to the class early, she looked back at her schedule and noticed that she was going to have to plan for study time and time with the boys. Her weekdays were going to be very packed and she was planning on getting O's on all her NEWT examinations at the end of the year.

Mondays – Double Runes, Charms, Transfiguration, DADA

Tuesdays – Double Herbology, Double Potions

Wednesdays – Double Arithmancy, Charms, Transfiguration, DADA

Thursday – Herbology, Study Hall, Double Potions

Friday – Study Hall, Charms, Transfiguration, DADA

Lee was right, how was she going to have a life and still have time to sneak in her research for the boys shop. She had so many ideas that she wanted to put into fruition and she needed time to study the information needed. Of all the things at Hogwarts she loved, it was the vast amount of books in the library and the fact that she learned how to handle the charms and wards on the restricted section when she was a fourth year made her the happiest. She hadn't even told the boys how to get in because knowing them they would get a little too creative in their usage of the hexes and charms she had found in some of the darkest corners of the library. Between the library at school and her own library at Dumbledore Hill, Kat had always managed to find the information she needed. As Professor Babbling entered the room, Kat pushed away her thoughts of creations to focus on the material being presented to her.

The day seemed to fly past, which made sense to Kat seeing as she had her favorite lessons that day and grandmother's class was enthralling talking about Animagus transformation and how the process was more complex than most would seem. Kat and the twins were hoping that they would be taught to become Animagus but of course, the school board would not allow such a thing to happen. On their way to DADA, the three of them were talking animatedly about what animal they thought their Animagus form was and making plans to start looking into the process more thoroughly for themselves. They all thought that an Animagus form would be extremely helpful, even if just to make tricking and mischief easier to accomplish. Sitting down at a table between the twins, Kat removed her books and her wand from her bag and waited for Professor Toad.

Walking towards the front of the room wearing a pink skirt, a pink ruffled shirt, and a pink over robe, Professor Umbridge gave the impression of a pompous, self-righteous woman who had complete control over all she looked at. _Hem hem_ "Please place your wands away, they will not be needed in this classroom."

"Wait,"

"No wands?"

"In Defense?"

"Mr. and Mr. Weasley, I would hope that the fact that you have detention with me tonight already, that you would understand the need to raise your hands in my class before speaking," Professor Umbridge said sweetly, "and no, you will not need wands in my class."

Raising her hand, Katerina spoke, "That makes no sense though, Professor. How can we learn defensive and offensive spells without our wands? Sure this is a NEWT level class, and we know how to do some speechless spells, but I'm not sure any of us are ready for _wandless_ spells." Fred and George snorted.

"Miss Dumbledore, contrary to your grandfathers' belief, defensive theory is good enough for you children. I can think of no reason for you to need use defensive spells while in this classroom. As I said to classes earlier, if you understand the theory, than there should be no reason for you not to be able to perform the spell if it is needed."

"Everyone should know defensive spells and should be instructed how to use them, theory is not good enough when faced with real danger," Kat argued, feeling a strange static occurring near her head.

"There is no real danger that you will be faced with, Miss Dumbledore," Umbridge replied, "You are safe here at Hogwarts."

"And what about _outside_ of Hogwarts?" Kat asked, feeling her anger rise, "What do you do if you are sitting at home and suddenly there are people there who want to do you harm? Do you think that theory will help us then?"

"No one is out to harm you," the professor drawled, "Your grandfather is filling your head with fear and –"

"My grandfather is making us SAFE!" exclaimed Kat jumping to her feet. The crackling noise that was whipping around her ears was getting louder.

"Who do you think wants to harm you?"

"Seriously?" Fred snapped while the rest of the class, including a surprising amount of the Slytherins, glared at their new professor. Everyone had heard by now of what had happened to Katerina and her family that summer.

"Oh I don't know, maybe the death eaters that slaughtered my parents in front of me, or maybe the monster that raped me after he murdered my father, or maybe," Kat growled ignoring the reactions of her classmates as she continued, "the arsehole who ordered them to do it?! Voldemort is not going to politely wait for you to remember the theory behind a spell and sit patiently as you try to cast it." Katerina heard the gasps of surprise from those around her as they watched their desks slowly begin to levitate and she distantly felt as Fred grabbed her hand to try and calm her down.

"Miss Dumbledore," Umbridge said, slowly walking towards Kat, warily eyeing the desks and sparks emitting from Kat's head, "I am sorry for what befell your parents and yourself, but that was not a common occurrence and I will not tolerate students to LIE in my classroom and to spread the fear to other students. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is NOT BACK!"

"YES HE IS, AND IT'S IDIOTS LIKE YOU THAT WILL GET US KILLED!" Kat screamed, the room promptly becoming silent. Kat could feel her hair whipping around her head, her magic was screaming to be released, and then with a magnificent BANG, the tables that had been rising a few inches off the ground came clashing back to the floor, the books and parchment that had been on them went flying in all directions. Katerina looked around her, and saw the shock and fear on the faces of the other students. Even Fred and George were dumbfounded.

"Miss Dumbledore, you are excused from this classroom," Dolores hissed, "You will meet me at the Headmasters' office. Leave now."

Kat grabbed her bag and stuffed her book and wand back into and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She began loudly stomping down the hallway trying to calm herself down before having to explain herself to her grandfather. "Damn fool is going to kill us all just because the stupid ministry is scared of my grandfather. What the hell does she think he is doing? Creating an army of children? Seriously, if he wanted to do that, he would be teaching us Dark Arts, not Defense Against the Dark Arts. Stupid bint." Kat was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she did not realize two things: one, she was talking out loud and two, she was on a course to run straight into Severus Snape.

"I do hope there is no need to be concerned about the state of your mind, Miss Dumbledore," Professor Snape drawled, "As even in the wizarding world, talking to oneself, especially about the Dark Arts, is frowned upon."

"Oh!" Kat stopped, looked up in surprise, "Professor Snape, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

"Obviously," the professor sneered, "Now please tell me why you thought roaming the halls talking to yourself was a better decision than being in class?"

"I, ah," Kat began, feeling a blush coming on, "I was dismissed from class and was instructed to go to the Headmaster's office."

Professor Snape actually looked…stunned at her answer as his gaze flicked up to her hair. She was amazed when his lips turned up a bit at the corners before he quickly controlled himself again. Katerina had never seen another emotion other than distaste, anger, or just plain boredom on the stern teachers' face and she was astonished at how it changed his features. He almost appeared attractive, in a way. Severus Snape would never be conventionally handsome, with his large nose and his greasy appearing hair that covered his face like a curtain, but Kat was drawn to something about the brooding man. Unlike her other classmates, she never found him to be cruel or a bad teacher, Kat actually loved Potions class and thought that Professor Snape had a reason for being strict in the classroom. One wrong move with an ingredient and you had the potential to generate a dangerous situation for anyone near. Strictness around potions kept people alive.

"As I was on my way to the Headmaster, you may follow me," Professor Snape said, "if you keep your mindless chattering in your head."

"Yes sir."

The pair walked in comfortable silence, though Kat had to nearly jog to keep up with the Professors' long stride. Glancing briefly towards the mysterious man, she began to wonder about him. She knew that her grandfather and grandmother trusted him beyond a doubt, but she had also heard her father and grandfather talking one night. She had been trying out the prototype for Fred and Georges' Extendible Ears and had happened upon a conversation obviously not meant for anyone else.

~~ _Flashback~~_

 _"Father, I don't understand how you can trust that man," Wulfric Dumbledore said, "He was a Death Eater and for all you know, he could still be on their side."_

 _"Yes, Severus_ was _a Death Eater," Kat stifled a gasp as she heard her grandfather reply, "but he joined for all the wrong reasons. He joined because he found a group that was willing to accept him not because he actually believed in Tom."_

 _"But he still willing went to them."_

 _"He made a mistake, Wulf," grandfather started, "It is the curse of being human: we all make mistakes that we regret. I promise you that Severus greatly regrets his decision to join them and he willing returned to the light. He plays an extremely difficult role in this fight and he does not need more enemies against him. Trust in him."_

 _"How can we trust someone whose job is to lie and be good enough at it that they aren't killed?" her father asked._

 _"Trust in my judgement son, I promise that Severus Snape, while a difficult man, is a good man in his heart. He will be the key in this war." Kat heard some rustling, something that sounded like cloth, and then her grandfather was talking again, "Please keep this to yourself Wulfric, do not tell anyone, including Julia. No one can know the role that Severus plays, for if it is discovered, the light will have no chance of winning."_

 _"Yes father," her dad replied. Shortly after she heard her grandfather leaving and then at just a small whisper she heard her dad speak again, "I sure hope you're right, father."_

 _~~End Flashback~~_

Kat was slightly embarrassed at the amount of time it took her to figure out what Severus' role in the war was. Once she had concluded that he was a spy for the Order, she saw him in an entirely new light. He was without a doubt the bravest man she had ever met and she knew that there had to be some way to protect him. No one knew of all the things that Kat liked to study, so no one knew that she was looking up on protection charms and potions. Her dad would have been proud of her and what she hoped to achieve, or at least she thought he would be proud. Thoughts of her father brought back the dreadful night already months behind her and then it hit her like a bag of bricks. She knew of Severus' role and she had no way of keeping it to herself if someone were to question her. Thank the gods that the monsters that night only wanted to harm her and only thought of her as a useless teenager. No one thinks that children know secrets, at least not important secrets. Everything could have been lost if they had only thought that she knew something.

"Miss Dumbledore," Severus sneered, "you are going to end up with bugs flying into your mouth if you do not shut it. And please pick one emotion to focus on. Your little light show is going to cause someone to have a stroke."

"Sorry Professor," Kat said, looking down at her feet. How would she be able to keep Professor Snape safe if all one had to do was give her Veritaserum or use Legimency on her and his secret would be out. She would have to go to her grandfather and talk to him about it but that would mean admitting to her eavesdropping. _Maybe I could develop an antidote against Veritaserum? Make something that if taken in advance would counteract the effects of the truth potion. Like I honestly need another potion to be creating right now_ , Kat thought to herself.

"Lolipop," Professor Snape growled at the gargoyle guarding the steps to the Headmaster's office. Following the professor up the stairs and through the door into her grandfathers' office, Katerina happened to see that Professor Snapes' robes billowing like they do in the halls allowed her to notice her teachers' shapely bottom was directly in front of her…. _I wonder what else on him is shapely. Wait – what?_ _Think of Fred, think of Fred, think of Fred_ , Kat muttered in her head. What type of girlfriend checks out other men's bottoms, especially their _professors'_ bottom?

Walking into the spacious round room, Kat looked up and saw that Fawkes was not at his usual perch near her grandfather's desk. She loved the firebird, and whenever she came near him, he would fly over to her and let her stroke his magnificent plumage. She saw that her grandfather was sitting at the desk pouring over some parchment. He appeared unsurprised when he looked up and saw both Severus and Katerina waiting for his acknowledgement.

"Ah Severus, right on time. Now my dear, what brings you to my office so soon?"

"I was, ummm," Kat began slowly, "Iwaskickedoutofclassbythetoad," she finished quickly. Out of the corner of her eye she swore she saw a smile begin to appear on Professor Snape's face before he quickly covered it with his hand.

"Now Katerina, it is unfair to refer to your teacher as an amphibian," her grandfather said, with a twinkle in his eye, "More seriously though, why were you kicked out of your class?"

"I can answer that," a noxiously sweet voice came from near the doorway. Umbridge was standing there with her little cat like grin, not waiting to be asked into the office. "Your granddaughter is a disruptive, lying, and rude young woman. She made it next to impossible for her classmates to learn and she was helping spread fear and lies around the castle. I had to dismiss them early as I was unable to get them to quiet."

"IT WAS NOT LIES!" Kat yelled, startling her grandfather. Professor Snape looked bored as he glanced from Umbridge to Kat to the Headmaster.

"I have had enough Albus. First it was from Mr. Potter and now from your granddaughter," Dolores lectured, "Spreading the lies that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back. Both her class and Mr. Potter's class dared to question me on how I am teaching them defense."

"You aren't teaching us defense, you are teaching us how to read books and copy them!" She could feel the static again and noticed how Professor Snape was now watching her with interest.

"Katerina!" her grandfather said sternly, "Whether you agree or disagree with the directive of your professors, you will show them the respect that they deserve."

"Yes Headmaster," Kat had the decency to appear chastised.

Looking like the cat that caught the canary, Umbridge began again, "I demand that this child be removed from NEWT DADA and to be given at least a month of detentions."

"You can't have me removed from class!"

"I can, and you will be! I will not teach a child that has the audacity to call me an idiot in front of the other students!"

"I wouldn't call you one if you would take your teaching of those students seriously!"

"KATERINA DUMBLEDORE!" Kat startled at the tone of her grandfather and backed away slightly. "You will not speak to a teacher at this school with that tone and with those words! You have been hereby removed from DADA –"

"But—"

"And you will be reporting to Professor Snape here for detention every night for two months' time," her grandfather continued as if she hadn't interrupted. "Will that be sufficient for you, Dolores?"

"Oh yes," Professor Umbridge gleefully agreed, "that is a quite acceptable punishment. Do not be gentle on her detentions Severus. And now that this has been taken care of, I will head on to dinner. Teaching does make you rather ravenous." And with a large smile on her face, Umbridge strode out of the room and down the stairs, humming again.

"Grandfather, you cannot be serious," Kat cried, "I have to be able to take DADA so that I can pass the NEWT examination!"

"Katerina, you will still be taking the NEWT examination," her grandfather said, ruffling through some parchments and grabbing a thick tomb, "Here you are my dear, this is the information that is gone over for NEWT level DADA lessons. I expect you to use your normal DADA time to study this. I promise you are more than up for the job to teach yourself the material. If you have any problems or questions, you can always ask me or Professor McGonagall. Please remember that while at school, you must refer to me as Headmaster or Professor. Now, about those detentions Severus," Katerina had almost forgotten Severus was there, "I would like you to treat Katerina as if you would an apprentice."

"What?"

"Albus you can't be serious."

"Of course I am, Severus, " her grandfather stated, "Why do people keep thinking that I am being anything but serious? It would do you both some good, plus I know my Kat here is very talented at Potions, she may surprise you Severus." She sighed as Snape grunted. Both of them knew that when the Headmaster had decided something then that was what was going to happen.

"Grand – er – Headmaster," Kat started, "I also needed to talk to about something private if I could."

"I have a meeting with Severus that is planned right now, but we may talk about whatever you need at another time."

"It's very important sir."

"Miss Dumbledore, you spend too much time with Mr. Potter. As much as he would have you believe otherwise, the trivial woes of teenagers are not more important than the complexities of adults trying to win a war," Severus snarled.

"It is when someone knows the role of a _certain_ professor that can either win the war or destroy it and has no way to protect their mind from _unwelcome_ intrusions," Kat snidely remarked back.

"How do you –"

"Katerina, what are you saying?" her grandfather asked, the twinkle gone from his eyes.

"I know what Professor Snapes' role in the war is."

"How?"

"That's not possible."

"I'm sorry, I am. I didn't mean to find out. I happened to hear you talking to my father last year and I put two and two together and figured out that the only possible role that Professor Snape could have that could possibly endanger both sides would be that of a spy," she heard a gasp from beside her as she continued, "And then I realized on the way to your office that the only reason the other side hadn't gotten that information from me was because they thought I was a useless teenager that didn't know any important secrets. They only wanted to hurt me because in turn it would hurt you, they didn't stop to think that I might know something that significant. So I need something that will block my mind from anyone else. I was thinking about coming up with a potion that would counteract the effects of Veritaserum but the problem with that is that someone could still look into my mind and see the truth. Also, just thinking of a potion that could counteract Veritaserum could end up deadly in the long run as people would be able to lie about anything –"

"Would you stop your irritating chatter!" growled Professor Snape, "Albus we must do something to block her knowledge. I for one am a great fan of oblivating her."

"No! You can't!"

"Severus, I will not oblivate her. I will, however, ask that you teach her Occlumancy."

"Albus, I do not have the time for this."

"You will make time. As much as I would like to argue otherwise, you are stronger at Occlumancy than I am and you would make the better teacher. I do not want her oblivated because I believe that she may be able to help you."

"Help me? Her?" Professor Snape seemed astounded, as if he couldn't believe what her grandfather was saying to him.

"Trust me Severus."

"Fine," turning towards Kat with a terrifying glare, "You will be in my office every night at 8pm sharp – Do. Not. Be. Late." With those last words, he thundered out of the office, his black robes following out behind him like a glorious cape. Katerina sat back down, worried about the months to come.

"Hmm, looks like he forgot we had a meeting set up," her grandfather said, smiling, "Would you care to join me for dinner, Kat? Oh and have I mentioned how glad I am to see your rainbow of hair again?"


	5. The Potions Master

Disclaimer: I own nothing

 **Chapter 5 – The Potions Master & The Study of Occlumency**

Katerina stepped into the common room to a loud round of applause and she could feel a blush rise in her cheeks. She smiled as many of her friends rushed up to talk to her. Harry, Hermione and Ron were with the twins. Fred and George both whooped with joy when they noticed her hair hadn't returned back to the blue and grey.

"So you couldn't stay quiet either, huh?" asked Harry.

"Harry's already got detention with the miserable woman for a week for yelling in class," Ron stated.

"You've got nothing,"

"On Miss Dumbledore,"

"Seriously though, Fred and George told us what happened," Harry said, "Did you really call her an idiot to her face?" She gave a small nod. Harry and Ron both broke out in large grins while Hermione looked conflicted as to whether she should be proud of Kat or horrified at the prospect of disrespecting a teacher in such a manner.

"What happened with the Headmaster?" Ron asked.

"I, ah," Kat looked down, her hair turning a light blue with black highlights, "I was permanently removed from DADA lessons –"

"WHAT?"

"THEY CAN'T DO THAT!"

"Is that an option not to have her?" Ron looked actually hopeful at the prospect.

"And I will be serving two months' worth of detentions with Professor Snape," Kat continued, looking at the faces of horror in front of her.

"Two months,"

"With the evil git,"

"As his slave,"

"Because of the toad,"

"Will you two stop it," Kat laughed as she smacked their arms, "it won't be too horrible. After Umbridge left, my grandfather gave me this book that goes over everything that should be taught in NEWT level DADA. I'm basically going to be teaching myself the material, which honestly seems like a better choice anyway as the damnable woman isn't planning on teaching real wandwork. And Professor Snape is not that bad. And it won't be like a true detention, he is taking me on as a quasi-apprentice. I will be helping him with potions and things like that." None of them agreed with her assessment of Snape but they all knew that he seemed to tolerate Kat better than any of the other Gryffindors.

Fred came over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, kissing her on the cheek, "I am one proud guy right now; my girlfriend is the most amazing woman in the world. Did you know that your hair turned blood red with black tips? It was actually sparking!"

"And you raised all the desks off the ground!" George added.

"And best yet, you told off the toad!" Ron exclaimed.

"So now that you have detention with the bat, do you still have detention with Umbridge?" Harry asked.

"Nope," Kat replied, "I am apparently not wanted anywhere near the hag." She heard Hermione make a sound of disapproval at the description of Umbridge.

"Sorry Harry," Fred said.

"You're stuck," George added

"With just us,"

"Don't worry though,"

"We'll keep you warm!" With that both twins wrapped their arms around Harry's and frog-marched him out of the room. Kat just shook her head and laughed, saying goodbye to everyone in the room and walking her way down to the dungeons for her first detention with Professor Snape. She was extremely curious as to what they would be doing during her time and she was hoping that Professor Snape wouldn't say no to her doing some individual research while she was in the labs. Having made it down to the cold, damp part of the castle where the potions master kept his office, she paused a moment when she made it in front of the door to send up a prayer that the professor would be in an amiable mood. Katerina took a deep breath and raised her fist and gently knocked.

"Enter."

Katerina entered the shadowy room and grimaced. It was no wonder that Professor Snape was rumored to be one of the undead, just look at the things he kept in his office. The grimy, poorly lit office was completely void of all color, its walls lined with hundreds of glass jars that when Kat took a closer look appeared to contain bits and pieces of different plants and animals. Sitting behind a large ornate wooden desk his face masked by the shadow of the corner was Professor Snape, large quill in hand as he viciously reviewed a stack of parchment. _How on earth can he actually see in here?_

"Good evening Professor."

"Miss Dumbledore, I hope that you understand what has brought you here to be an annoyance on my time." He drawled, not even bothering to look up from what he was doing.

"My inability to keep my mouth shut in the face of farcicality?"

"Your inability to keep your mouth _and_ mind shut period." Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes before continuing. "As I am being forced against my will to take you on as an unwanted apprentice and must also teach you to protect your mind from those who will want to steal the knowledge that you contain, I must insist that you learning this skill is of the upmost importance, not only for the side of the light but also for my life. I will warn you, I value my life, as dismal and depressing as it may seem, and I will do _anything_ necessary to keep my secrets."

"I understand sir," Kat replied looking at her hands, "I promise I did not mean to put you in a position of danger and I will do whatever I can to make sure that I will not betray your role."

Rising out of his chair Severus walked to an overcrowded bookcase and removed an ancient looking volume. Placing it on the dark table in front of her he walked back around the desk but did not retake his seat. "You will read this book in its entirety before next Monday night. Make sure that you understand what the book is saying and that you have yourself mentally organized for our first lesson. As for tonight, you will be going into the student supply cabinet and cataloging _all_ of the jars. Do wear gloves, some of the jars in the back may be…leaking."

"Yes sir." Grabbing the withered book off the table, Katerina started to move to the door to go to the potions classroom.

"And Miss Dumbledore," Severus drawled from behind her, "I will know if you venture from your job. I'm certain, if it is needed, that I can devise a more unsatisfying punishment."

The next week passed quickly. From the stories of the other students, she was actually grateful that she had been removed from Umbridges' class. Whenever the stuffy woman passed by Kat in the hallways she made sure to glare down her small nose at her and sniff as if something disgusting was close to her. Fred and George had made it their priority to cause as much disruption in the horrible woman's class as they could. Kat had to make them promise that they wouldn't be too bad as to get kicked out as well. She had already been told the riot act from Hermione on the newest candies that Fred and George were trying out on first years ("Well at least they're paying them!" "That's exactly what Fred said! You three are absolutely impossible!"). She was starting to wonder if maybe she should stop helping them produce new products before they graduated though she was very pleased that the Skiving Snackboxes were working like they had hoped.

Her time at night with Severus was in one word: boring. So far all she had been allowed to do was catalog the student storeroom (three times already!), wash out the cauldrons ("No magic, Miss Dumbledore, it can interfere with the potions."), and be a delivery girl for Severus ("Why would I want to suffer the existence of Dolores, when I have you here?"). If this is what an apprenticeship was like then she was definitely not applying for one after Hogwarts. She had also hoped to learn more about her secretive teacher but he would walk into the classroom, give her brief instructions and then storm back out before she could even say hello.

It was now Monday night and Kat had finally gotten some time alone with Fred. She had not-so-subtlety hinted to George that Angelina may have an interest in more than just his Quidditch skills and he had taken off like a dog in heat. When Fred had asked where George had gone, Kat led him not to George but to a small alcove she had discovered hidden behind a large tapestry on the fourth floor. At first Fred seemed slightly confused but with one look at Kat his eyes grew darker and he ran his tongue over his lips.

"It seems we are alone…I wonder what you have in that beautiful mind right now."

"Oh just multiple ways we could get in trouble."

"Convincing Peeves to scare the plated cats in Umbridges' room type of trouble or…" He glanced down at her lips, and then she watched as his rich brown eyes moved from her face down to the rise of her chest.

"Or…" Kat bit her bottom lip and slowly removed her robes allowing her hands to briefly brush the sides of her breasts, "We can explore more of what this soulmates thing means." She heard a growl and the next thing she knew was warm soft lips pressed against hers and hands pulling her waist to his body. Kat moaned with pleasure when she felt his tongue gently probing her mouth, asking for entrance. Even though she knew that she should move slowly with the relationship her body was acting against her better judgement. When she heard a deep groan come from Fred her body automatically moved against his, grinding into the hard length she felt pressing to her stomach. "Are you sure?" Fred whispered concern in his eyes. She nodded and pushed her body against him again. Just as Fred had placed his palms against her covered chest a bright white light exploded into the nook.

Jumping back in surprise Kat had to cover her mouth not to scream. Fred quickly had his wand out, his hair sticking up in odd directions and breathing hard, but ready to protect her. As blood rushed back to her brain she realized that she was looking at a Patronus in the shape of beautiful doe. Kat's mouth dropped as the deep voice of Severus Snape came out of the feminine shape.

"I do hope that whatever you deemed more imperative to do rather than arrive to your detention on time is worth a week of harvesting the organs of rats. You have 5 minutes to get here before I make it two."

"SHIT!"

"I would say sorry love, but honestly I don't regret a thing…well maybe all the clothing still involved." Fred smirked at her as Kat raced to put her robes back on and get to the dungeons before Professor Snape decided to make her punishment even worse.

* * *

"Miss Dumbledore, do you think that my time is so insignificant that it can be squandered waiting for a teenage girl to decide to finally grace me with her presence?"

"No—"

"Do you really think that my life is so unimportant that it should be ended?"

"No sir but –"

"Do you not comprehend the extremely torturous way that the Dark Lord would end my life were he to find out that I am a spy?"

"I do sir but –"

"Do you think that I deserve to die a ghastly death?"

"NO—"

"Then why do you think that you can waste my time by being late?!" Severus growled. "I can assure you that learning Occlumency will save your life quicker than becoming proficient at kissing red-headed imbeciles." Severus had to repress a grin as he saw the deep red in her hair slowly drain becoming a deeper and deeper shade of pink. Severus had not been prepared for how Katerina had appeared when she rushed into his office. Gone was any trace of her being a child and in her place was a beautiful young woman. Her wild curly hair a deep black that still had small hints of pink and red, her school robes wrinkled and on inside out, and her lips swollen and bruised from passion. Severus had felt all his blood rush to a completely inappropriate appendage. His traitorous brain had supplied images of it being him who had brought Katerina to such a state. _She is a STUDENT!_ He had quickly taken his anger and disgust out on the girl.

"I apologize Professor," At least she had the decency to be ashamed of her tardiness. "I lost track of time. I do not think that your life is insignificant."

"If you are late again, I will have the remainder of your detentions moved to Dolores. I have heard she has very unique quills for writing lines."

"Yes sir."

"Have you managed to detach yourself from Mr. Weasley long enough to complete your reading?"

Severus saw her hair start to spark as red streaks began to move through it. He truly enjoyed watching the color shows. "Actually, _sir_ , I finished the reading last week. I also got two other references from my grandfather for further study." She finished with her head held high eyes daring to hold his gaze.

"I keep forgetting that our school is plagued by not one but two insufferable know-it-alls. Do enlighten me how you keep someone from entering your mind?"

He saw the red quickly being replaced by an energetic violet color that Katerina usually displayed when engaged in deep study or when she was interested in a topic. Severus had come to notice that while her natural hair color was white, more often than not her hair was some shade of purple, her head usually stuffed in a book (no wonder she got along so well with Ms. Granger). "Occlumency is the use of a mental shield that is created by visualizing something such as a brick wall or empty space so that the person entering cannot see what you are thinking. Some people become efficient enough at it that they can bring up specific thoughts while hiding others. There are even ways that you can modify a memory or thought but you need to have an extremely strong mind to do so because you must be able to separate the created memory from the real memory or you risk the chance of driving yourself insane."

"You seem to be proficient at repeating what others have written. Congratulations." Severus moved a chair in front of Katerina and sat down removing his wand from his sleeve. "While very few followers of the Dark Lord know how to employ Legilimency there is still a possibility that you will fall into the wrong hands, especially due to who your grandfather is. We will be combating this possibility in two ways: One, you _will_ become efficient at Occlumency and be able to protect your mind, and Two, you will be researching how to produce an antidote to Veritaserum. Even the strongest Occlumens has trouble against a full dose of Veritaserum."

"Sir?" Severus gave her a small nod. "I was thinking on that. What if I we don't actually need an antidote?"

"What do you mean?"

"Can you develop a resistance to it? Say if you started with a small amount every day slowly increasing the amount until you are finally able to take a full dose and still be able to lie? A full dose is only three drops and if you were to work your way up to more than three drops, say a full vial, you'd be able to lie under any circumstance. No one would give more than one vial of Veritaserum to someone unless they were trying to poison them."

Severus was impressed. He would have never thought to do that to something such as Veritaserum. He was actually implementing the same concept to snake venom as Voldemort loved using his beloved Nagini to dispose of unwanted people, especially Death Eaters that disappointed him. "That would be an interesting thing to try but I'm not sure you'd want to be under Veritaserum every day. Doesn't your hair give away enough?"

"Well sir, I've been working on a potion for a few years now that can allow me to cover the hair change. When I take it my hair appears to stay white to everyone else. The only problem that I can't get past is that when I take it my magic is suppressed as well. It's seems as if my magic is connected to my blasted hair." Kat said angrily her hair flaring back to bright red. "As for the Veritaserum Immunity…I've been lacing myself with it since the day I realized what _they_ could have found out."

Severus didn't think that he could be more surprised but he was wrong. "And where did you get this potion from? I know that even Dumbledore wouldn't be so stupid as to give such to a student, even if that student was his spoiled granddaughter. And you haven't had the time to make the potion yourself."

"I…" Severus raised an eyebrow as she blushed and her hair turned a stunning green. "Imayhavestolenitfrommygrandfathersstoreswhenhewasn'tlooking."

Severus blinked not believing what he had heard. And then he did something he had never done in front of a student. He laughed.

* * *

Kat couldn't believe her ears when Professor Snape had started laughing. She swore from the face he had made that she was going to be marched up to her grandfather's office. Instead he had tossed his head back and let out a deep hearty laugh. _His laugh sounds amazing. And his smile makes him seem so much younger_. Realizing what she was thinking, Kat shook her head and waited for the professor to remember she was there.

"All right, little thief," he laughed again, "Against my better judgement, I will ignore what you just told me and not tell the Headmaster about your sticky fingers. Not to keep you out of trouble mind you, I'm just curious as to if an immunity is possible. Know that I will not hesitate to tell him if you anger me."

"Yes sir."

"Let's begin. _Legilimens!_ "

Two days had passed and her head still hurt from Professor Snape entering her mind. The entire night she had been unable to keep him out and he had seen some embarrassing events (like what she had been doing when his Patronus had found her). He had finally dismissed her to go to bed when he had seen the night her parents had been killed. He had even apologized to her and given her an entire bar of Honeydukes chocolate. He instructed her to practice her shield whenever she had time (and she better make time for it or he would make sure she regretted it).

She was currently trying to study in the common room but kept getting distracted by the arguing of Hermione and Ron. "Will you two shut it?!" She yelled throwing her quill onto the desk and glaring at the bickering couple, surprising everyone near her. "Honestly though can't you go a week without trying to kill each other? Ron you need to start doing your own work, Hermione isn't going to always be there for you. Hermione, Fred and George aren't going to kill anyone – trust me I've tried all the potions before allowing them anywhere near them and then the two of them test them out multiple times as well. They aren't idiots! And for your information they weren't the ones to sneak the Terror Toffee to Umbitch, I was. And the house elves do not want to be free! You do realize that you are basically accusing my _grandfather_ of being a slave owner?" Grabbing her books and stuffing them into her bag, "Ron you need to grow up and Hermione, you know I love ya, but please pull the damn stick out. Now is not the time to be at each other's throats constantly, especially not with someone like Umbridge taking over the damn school." Slinging her bag over her shoulder Katerina stormed up the stairs to the girls' dormitory and dropped onto her bed.

Thankfully the next day everyone left Katerina alone. Even Fred seemed to be wary of her and her quick temper, though he was extremely proud of her prank on Umbridge. It turned out that the day before she had tried just a little too much Veritaserum and keeping quiet all day had finally backfired when she was exhausted and nursing a headache. She had apologized to Ron and Hermione though the two seemed to not be talking to each other again. Everyone else was too busy talking about either OWLs and NEWTs (and the massive amount of homework they were receiving to prepare for the exams) or the Quidditch tryouts that afternoon. She had been surprised that Ron had managed to get Keeper. Fred and George had admitted that he wasn't the best choice but he had done the best out of those who had shown up. She hoped that the two would be gentle with their brother during practices; the Weasley family could get a little wound up when it came to Quidditch.

The days of the month began to whirl past. Between classes, homework, study, her own private research, and occlumency lessons with Professor Snape she hardly had any time to herself let alone some time with Fred. They had managed to go for a walk on Sunday but had been quickly interrupted by Angelina who had called an emergency practice for the team since Harry was finally done his newest batch of detentions with Umbridge. Kat had tagged along but she knew that she was distracting Fred and had left after the third time Angelina had yelled at him to focus. She would have to find some time for them, she was really hoping to continue were they had left off – preferably _under_ clothing this time. She wasn't sure if it was the Bond or just natural teenage hormones but she desperately wanted to touch and kiss Fred all the bloody time.

The only good thing that had happened in the past few weeks was that she was finally able to keep Professor Snape out of her mind for a whole 10 minutes. He had finally been able to crack her wall by what she could only describe as him tickling her mind which took her completely by surprise. He had assured her that the Dark Lord would never think to tickle her to get into her mind as he preferred torture over fun or pleasure but to be on the safe side she may what to try another form of shield. The only shield he told her he would like her to stay away from was completely blanking her mind – all he would tell her was that it would increase her possibility of losing her emotions entirely. She would be a walking shell, not caring about anything. He had said she would be able to watch her best friend die and she would feel nothing. That thought scared her greatly – she immediately thought of the boys and shivered. She often found herself wondering how Severus' shield looked like and thought that he must have an amazingly strong mind if he could lie to Voldemort without the powerful wizard knowing especially since Voldemort himself was a talented mind-reader. Not for the first time, Katerina was reminded how brave he was and how so many people hated him without knowing the truth. Maybe when the war was over then they would find out.


	6. The Toad Takes Over

Disclaimer: I own none of it, no matter how hard I dream.

 **Chapter 6 – The Toad Takes Over**

A few weeks into the school year Kat and the twins were sitting at lunch discussing the current batch of Skiving Snackboxes and the results they had gotten from the first years. Fred and George were positive that they were fully developed while Kat preferred to have a little more public research done. She suggested that they sneak some of them to the Slytherin table at breakfast one morning but the twins reminded her that they'd have to be willing to offer them the antidotes as well. "Wait a minute!" Kat was struck by an idea. "What if we make some that are time based? The antidote is in the candy itself and after a set amount of time it activates?"

"Interesting idea"

"But what happens"

"If the antidote activates"

"Before they need it to?"

"True, but this gets rid of the problem you were having with the Nosebleeds and losing too much blood before getting to the antidote or if they are unable to get to the antidote." Kat explained. They were brought out of their discussion by a loud gasp from Hermione who was reading The Daily Prophet.

"Why do you bother reading that drivel?" Ron asked, grabbing another turkey sandwich half.

"For this exact reason," Hermione pushed the paper out in front of her.

"'High Inquisitor?'" Harry questioned. "What does that mean?"

"It says that Umbridge is now going to be able to inspect the other professors and pretty much decide if they are doing their jobs well enough. It's also insinuating that Professor Dumbledore isn't up for the job anymore."

"Ron, why the hell are you smiling?" Kat demanded.

"Well just wait until she inspects your gram's class," Ron beamed, "She'll never know what happened."

"Or Snapes'" Harry added with a delighted smile.

Mentioning Professor Snape, Hermione began to pester Harry and Ron over their grades on their most recent Potions homework. _Hermione has really got to calm down before she blows a nerve_. _If this is how she is over OWLS I'm glad I won't be here when she has NEWTS_. "Hermione, you do know that one P or one D will not end their schooling, right?"

"Of course I do, but they should still be more serious about it. I mean I understand that Professor Snape is hard but they won't become Aurors if they get Poor or Dreadful. I have been told that getting an Outstanding on a paper or potion is almost impossible from him. I need to speak to someone he's given one to and figure out what they had included in their work that I didn't."

"You're looking at her," Fred said.

"And she doesn't let you copy, if you're wondering," George grinned. "We've tried."

"A lot."

"Really? Oh Kat, we really need to set up our study sessions again this year!" Hermione squealed, practically bouncing out of her seat. "Ron, Harry, don't you two have Divination soon?"

"Great. Yet another time for her to predict my untimely death."

"You didn't have to take Divination, Harry, you could have taken something with substance," Hermione retorted.

Over the next week Katerina watched and listened as her professors' lessons were scrutinized by the unbearable toad. Just as Harry and Ron had said, watching her Gram and Professor Snape being inspected were the highlights of her classes. Gram had questioned the woman on why she was being reviewed multiple times ("I need to determine if there is _bias_ in your upper classes." "Are you insinuating that I give my granddaughter unearned marks?" "I am just covering all possible aspects of your teaching." "And I am to presume that a few months as a teacher is adequate to judge almost four decades?"), and Professor Snape completely ignored her ("If you do not answer any of my questions, I will be forced to come back at another hour." "That would be acceptable, as I do not need NEWT level potions to explode due to an inane interrogation."). Tuesday had been quite eventful as George had to restrain Angelina from hexing Harry into pieces for getting yet another weeks' worth of detentions from Umbridge.

Kat was doing homework in the common room when Harry had returned from Umbridge, a cloth held against the back of his hand. Professor Snape had called off her 'detention' not giving a reason but she suspected he had been called to Voldemort due to the last minute cancellation. She watched as Hermione gave Harry a small bowl that contained a yellow liquid for his hand. "Harry, I really wish you would allow me to tell my grandfather or at least gram what that awful woman is doing to you."

"And have her make Fudge pass another decree? No thanks, I'll be fine."

"I've been thinking about that," Hermione said, "We aren't getting anywhere with her as a teacher. And as much as I disagree with yelling at a teacher, Kat was right. We need to know how to protect ourselves."

"So what do you want us to do?"

"We should teach ourselves."

"WHAT?" Ron exclaimed. "How would we go about that? We're only fifth years."

"Well I've borrowed a few books from the library and Kat has that awesome book from the Headmaster but I think that we need something more than just books. We need a teacher," Kat noticed that Hermione was sending quicks looks at Harry, "We need someone who is naturally talented at Defense and who has been in battle against Death Eaters and lived."

"Who?" Harry seemed completely oblivious.

"You Harry," Hermione sighed.

"I can't teach anyone! Why would you want me to teach people?"

"Isn't it obvious Harry?"

"It's actually a good idea, mate," Ron started, "I mean look at what you've done so far. Every year you've managed to go up against something crazy and you've survived it all."

"But that was all luck…"

"It's not just luck Harry," Kat closed her book and looked at Harry, "You are able to face incredible danger and not freeze up. You can act on instinct and use your knowledge without even knowing you are doing so. Sure reading spells and jinxes is great, but it's not the same as doing them when they are needed. Even the smartest bookworm is useless in a real fight if they lack the confidence that they can do it." Kat gave a sad smile, "Even if they think that they'd be great in a fight. It's not fun finding out you aren't strong enough when it is needed the most."

"We need…we need someone that's been there Harry…someone who has fought…against…ag-against Voldemort," Hermione sniffed. "We need to be prepared…in case…" she glanced at Kat and a tear fell down her cheek. "Harry, will you at least consider it?"

Harry nodded. Hermione and Ron left to go to bed. Kat glanced at Harry and noticed him deep in thought. "Harry, you would be an amazing teacher if you just stop thinking. You and I both know the dangers that are outside this castle. You could help your friends protect themselves and their loved ones. And, if you look at it this way, it's like a giant middle finger to the toad." Kat grinned, grabbed her bag and went up the stairs to bed. _If Harry could just give pointers on how to not freeze in the face of danger then it could save a life. Mum, dad, I miss you so much._

* * *

The next month went by nearly uneventful. Kat hadn't heard anything more on the topic of Harry teaching Defense tactics but she knew that Hermione was setting up a lesson plan of sorts because she kept borrowing her NEWT Defense book. Kat didn't have much time to think on any of that at the moment though as she was being kept very busy with her NEWT work, her research, and her time that was spent with Professor Snape. He had recently stopped treating her as his classroom lackey and was finally allowing her to brew potions (though admittedly they were first year potions for the hospital wing, but he was still letting her do it and surprisingly he wasn't breathing down her neck the entire time). She had finally found a shield that worked and managed to keep the Professor out of her mind for a whole 20 minutes during the last Occlumency lesson before he had broken through and seen a memory of her ogling a black covered bum that she was sure he recognized. Feeling her face burn as brightly as her hair surely was, Kat had run from the room before being released and was amazed the next day when he didn't take points or make her clean cauldrons again.

Fred and George were being driven like madmen by Angelina, their practices coinciding with the only small amount of free time that she managed to have. She had heard the team secretly referring to Angelina as the female Wood. She therefore filled that extra time with more research on a current potion that she hadn't told anyone about yet. She had gotten the thought from Hermione and her S.P.E.W. campaign surprisingly enough. While she had been madly knitting misshapen socks and hats for the house elves she kept mentioning how they would mean more than store bought ones because she knitted love into each one. Kat began to wonder if something more than just love could be knitted into the fabric. Kat was trying to develop a way that she could knit protective runes into the cloth and have it actually protect the wearer. She had been taught how to knit when she was ten by Mrs. Weasley and found the process to be very relaxing. George had joked that his mum was preparing to initiate Kat into the family early and Kat had been surprised when Fred had blushed at this comment.

The first few socks had not worked though and she soon realized that she was going to have to create a potion to soak the socks in to activate the runes. She was stuck on how to make the potion activate the runes without destroying the sock in the process. So far she was down multiple socks and had nothing to show for it. And she had sadly found that using magical knitting instead of handknitting would also cause a nasty reaction with the potion she had designed so far. It was one of the most frustrating things she had tried to date.

As for Veritaserum resistance, she was now up to half a dose and managed to freak George out by saying that she thought Umbridge may turn out to be the savior of the wizarding world with a straight face. Fred had thought she had been hexed until she started laughing. Professor Snape had thought she was pulling his leg when she said how much she was up to until he had her meet him on a Saturday morning before she took her dose. Half a dose later Kat was saying how much she loved Voldemort and that she thought Umbridge had the best taste in clothing and she would love to go shopping with her one day. Snape had looked at her and then started laughing again. Kat would never admit it to anyone else but she loved the sound of Professor Snape laughing and she was quite sure that she was one of the lucky few that got to hear him.

Today Kat, the twins, and Lee were in Hogsmeade on their way to the meeting that Hermione had told them about. The three boys were excitedly discussing what they hoped Harry would teach them while Kat happily looked around at the shops. She might be exhausted from all her work that she was doing but it was making her feel like she was human again and like she could finally move on past the horrible night that summer. She glanced at Fred, his red hair being whipped around his face by the wind, cheerily talking about a new jinx he had read about, and she felt the hole in her heart closing. He caught her looking at him and gave her a wide grin, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer to his side.

They walked into the Hog's Head and Kat glanced around with a grimace. She understood completely why Hermione chose this location…no one would think of students coming here. She saw the large group of Hogwarts students gathered around a table and saw the look on Harry's face. Hermione was happily getting more chairs with Ron.

"I'll get drinks!" Fred said, "Cough up everyone, it ain't free."

Everyone gathered around Harry, Hermione and Ron and looked at Harry expectantly. Kat looked around and was amazed at the amount of people who were interested. Kat counted 25, some of whom she had no idea who they were. Kat found a seat between Fred and Lee, sipping her butterbeer quietly. Hermione was the one that stood up and spoke first.

"Erm…Hi everyone," Hermione seemed not as sure of herself for once, "Well I think we can all agree that we could all use some real instructions on Defense Against the Dark Arts and not just the crap that Umbridge is forcing us to 'learn' – if you can really consider that learning… I mean that if we want to be prepared to defend ourselves than we need to learn how to do so properly and not just this theory rubbish. We need to be prepared," Hermione paused, "…Because V-Voldemort is back and people are dying."

"And what proof do you have with that?" a small blonde boy asked, "Just because _he_ says he is, doesn't make it true."

"Dumbledore says that he is and I trust Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore only says that because _he_ says that."

"If you don't believe in Harry then why are you here?" Ginny sneered.

"I want to know what happened last year. Why should I believe him when he says that You-Know-Who is back?" The blonde glared at Ginny then looked back at Hermione and Harry.

"Dumbledore told the whole school what happened. If you can't trust him, then you don't trust me, and I honestly don't care if you do or don't," Harry said quietly. "If you came here expecting Storytime of what happened to Cedric and I last year you're going to be disappointed. You can also leave if that's what you want."

"Ok but what makes you think he'd be a good teacher for us?" Kat was getting tired of this kid and his snotty attitude.

"How about killing a basilisk and saving my life?" Ginny said.

"Or defeating Quirrell and getting the Sorcerer's Stone?" Neville quipped.

"Or the fact that he can produce a Patronus already," Fred added.

"And all that stuff he had to do last year in the Triwizard Tournament," a pretty girl who Kat thought was named Cho Chang said. Kat couldn't help but notice how red Harry got when Cho was defending him.

"Look, I know it seems impressive but I have had a lot of help with things," Harry started.

"Are you trying to get out of teaching us? Can you actually do all of what they say? I mean this was your idea and we came here thinking you could do what you say."

"Listen you little brat," Kat snarled, losing her patience, "How about you keep your mouth shut for a little bit while those with a little substance between their ears do the talking." Kat felt her hair sparking again. Fred laughed, pulling her into his side.

"Kat, we don't want to draw attention," Hermione said calmly though she was trying to hide a small smile. "Moving on, lessons from Harry are wanted, correct?"

"We need to make sure they don't interfere with Quidditch practice." Angelina spoke up from next to George. A few others from different houses nodded in agreement.

"Merlin forbid you lose a school Quidditch game instead of your life." Kat muttered. Fred elbowed her while Hermione nodded at her.

"I'm sure we can find something that will work for everyone here but I agree with Kat. Learning how to defend ourselves is more important than the Quidditch Cup. Now we need to decide on how often and where to do this."

"I think once a week would be good especially for those of us with full schedules." Lee piped up. There were many nods of agreement. No one could think of a good place to hold the first lesson so Hermione decided that they would get back to them. After signing a piece of parchment and saying goodbyes, Kat left with Fred happy to finally get some alone time.

Kat smiled as Fred grabbed her hand as they walked down the lane towards Zonko's. Fred had a few things he wanted to buy while they were in Hogsmeade.

"You know that parchment had some sort of enchantment on it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, couldn't you feel it when you took it to sign? The slight tingle?"

"Nope. I wonder why Hermione would enchant it."

"It probably protects the group somehow. I don't think she would choose something too dangerous." Kat looked around the shop not really interested in any of the things for sale. She met Fred out front after he had paid for his bag of goodies that was bursting at the seams.

"Hmm, we still have a few hours before we need to be at dinner," Fred smiled at her, "I was wondering if you had any plans…"

"No plans. What are you thinking?"

"You know. Me plus you plus a quiet spot no one knows about but us…we could get in a lot of trouble in two hours." Fred moved his eyebrows suggestively at her with a cocky grin.

"Mmm…I have been curious about what you're hiding under all those clothes."

The next morning Kat woke up feeling completely happy and like a giggling little girl. She closed her eyes again and imagined Fred's warm hands moving on her body, the way his mouth felt moving down her throat as his hands found their way under her skirt. Silently casting _muffilato,_ a wonderful spell her Uncle Sirius had taught her, Kat moved her own hand down under her pajama shorts as she recalled how she had felt when he had first slipped a finger into her and the way her body had moved in response. She thought of how he had looked at her with amazement as he brought her to first orgasm by another person. She thought of how his erection felt in her hand and the delicious sound that he had made when he came. She felt her body giving into her thoughts as she thought of the last thing she had said to him before bed ("I love you Fred Weasley."). Finally convincing herself to get up and not spend the entire day with her hand and her thoughts Kat went and got a shower.

Walking down the steps to the common room, she hoped that her hair wasn't giving away too much. She blushed and smiled shyly when she saw Fred looking at her as if she were his favorite dessert. George had stopped talking and looked up, saw her face and then her hair and started giggling.

"Soooo…what did you two do yesterday?" George grinned.

"N-nothing," Kat could feel her face getter redder, knowing that her hair was most definitely bubble gum pink by now.

"Awww is my Freddie all grown up now?"

"NO!"

"SHUT IT GEORGE!"

"Hey guys! Look at this!" Lee called them over to the notice board.

A new sign was up decreeing meetings that have not been previously approved by the High Inquisitor would not be allowed and if they did the students involved would be expelled. "Harry will still do them."

"How do you know?"

"Because he's Harry. When has he ever listened to what adults tell him to do?" Kat laughed. Fred was right though as less than two weeks later they were in the Room of Requirement with the rest of the group that they had named Dumbledore's Army (which Kat found highly amusing). When Hermione had explained the Protean Charm on the Galleons she had given out she was extremely interested and made a note to talk to Hermione about the process when they had a free moment. The rest of the week went by fast as the first Quidditch match was approaching and Kat tried to find herself interested in the outcome but her mind kept wandering even with all the dreadful singing about poor Ron. It wasn't until she heard Malfoy talking about the Weasleys' parents that she was brought back to the present. She grabbed George before he could get to the blonde prat.

"He's not worth it George, this isn't worth it." She looked around for Fred but couldn't see him.

"Oh is one Weasley not enough for you Princess Kat? Going for the pair? I knew you were loose but that's a little much even for a bitc-" Kat felt her robes move as someone moved fast next to her. She saw Fred draw back his fist and connect with Malfoy's face at the same time that Harry hit him the stomach. Malfoy was thrown on the ground with Fred on top of him, Harry kicking at anything he could reach.

"Fred! Harry stop!" Hermione yelled.

"What do you think you're doing!" Kat heard her grandmother before she saw her. "My office! Now!"

A few hours later Kat had finally found Fred sulking behind what they had dubbed 'their tapestry'. She could see his eyes were puffy. He looked up at her and gave a small growl not wanting to be around anyone.

"Hey love," Kat said gently.

"She banned us from Quidditch for life. Harry and I, George too for 'good measure'. McGonagall tried to keep it from happening but she couldn't do anything about the bitch."

"I know. Angelina nearly destroyed the common room. It'll be ok. We're almost out of here anyway and I know you, you'll come up with something amazing to get her back." Kat sat down next to him and put her arm around his waist as she felt his arm wrap around her shoulder.

"Oh I've already convinced Peeves to put her cat plates in the Chamber of Secrets. Did you know ghosts can go in there whenever they want? Makes you wonder if Peeves knew about the snake."

"Thank you for defending me…again. You really should stop doing that; you're going to get expelled." Kat knocked into him with her shoulder, finally getting a grin out of him. "Come on love, you need some sleep." Kat stood up and pulled on his arm lightly.

"I don't want to go back to the tower yet." Fred started to turn away from her but she tugged on him again.

"Oh I was thinking more along the lines of the RoR…" Kat gave him a sultry smile. "Just sleeping though. Maybe a little fun – if you come willingly." Fred smiled and took her hand, allowing her to pull him out from the alcove and towards the seventh floor.


	7. An Unhappy Christmas & Unexpected Gifts

Disclaimer: Double-checked - I still own none of it.

Warning: From this point on, the story starts to add _steamier_ bits to the plot. I've tried to keep it tasteful and not full on smut but...

* * *

 **Chapter 7 - An Unhappy Christmas and Unexpected Gifts**

"Welcome back Hagrid," Severus turned at the sound of Flitwick's voice. He noticed how odd the pair looked standing next to each other, the Charms Professor not even coming up to the waist of the half-giant. Severus knew that Hagrid had been on a mission for Dumbledore and judging by the state of his face, the man had not been very successful.

Though he held nothing against the man, he honestly thought that Professor Grumbly-Plank was a better instructor than Hagrid had been, and definitely the safer choice for the students. The man had no concept on what types of animals were safe and which should be kept away from human populations. Seriously the nut had thought a dragon egg was a smart thing to have hatch in a wooden hut. His associates believed Dumbledore's story of Hagrid having gone off on a sabbatical to research the life cycles of the elusive yeti, though Severus could not blame them for taking the story at face value. Hagrid was currently discussing with Filius the way that most yeti cubs ended up orphaned due to muggle extermination. Severus wondered if Hagrid had taken a detour during his mission with the giants and actually gone and found a yeti cub to bring home. Having no interest in being drawn into another conversation over the legalities of Hagrids' animal interests, Severus stood and bid them goodnight.

Walking down to his dungeon chambers Severus was thinking back on his recent conversation with Miss Dumbledore about the possibility of creating wearable protective objects that could absorb the majority of the damage done by a curse or jinx. He had to admit the young girl certainly took after her grandfather when it came to her genius mind. He did worry about the effects that Dark Magic had on her mind though and if she may be slipping towards the darker path of life.

 _~~Flashback~~_

 _"Miss Dumbledore, blood magic is not to be played with by a child! It is considered Dark Magic for a reason."_

 _"I understand that professor," the girl looked up at him with twinkling blue eyes, her violet hair framing her small face. "But I've been reading a lot of older potions and charms books – blood magic was used a lot before in white magic as well as dark. It's only been in the past 200 years or so that it has been declared as only Dark Magic. If we use a persons' DNA, whether it be hair, saliva, blood, or…you know…" Kat's hair turned a bright pink, "…as long as it is unique to the person that we are trying to protect, than the protection runes on the object will be stronger."_

 _"It was declared Dark Magic because people were using blood magic to hurt others."_

 _"But I'm not trying to hurt others, I want to help them." Kat had tried to reason._

 _"Miss Dumbledore, the road down to the Dark Arts is a slippery one. Many start traveling down it in an effort to produce good and slowly but surely their decisions are influenced by the power and hunger of the Dark. Do not be naïve enough to think that you can withstand the sweet voice of temptation. Not many can."_

 _"It's something that should be researched though, shouldn't it? If we can give our side more protection than we should at least try."_

 _"You WILL NOT be trying blood magic in my labs. End of discussion." Severus had snapped at the girl._

 _"Yes sir."_

 _~~End Flashback~~_

Severus smiled to himself as he remembered what he saw when he looked up. Katerina was looking down at her feet and her hair was a strange mixture of green and purple. He had come to know that when Katerina felt guilty about something her hair took a green tint to it. He knew that either she was already toying around with blood magic or was at least still planning to. He would have to keep a close eye on her to make sure she didn't do anything too Dark and he planned to warn Dumbledore that perhaps he should reconsider how much of the library should be available to his brilliant young grandchild.

* * *

The weeks were passing by in a rush and Kat felt like she was running on empty. With Harry's private lessons, continuing her research with Snape (she no longer had detentions but neither one had mentioned that she still came down to his labs three or four times a week), regular schoolwork, and finding time for the boys she was exhausted. It was already two in the morning and she was still down in the common room reading more about the connection of runes to blood magic in an ancient book she had found in her grandfather's study. She refused to think about how he would react if he knew that she was sneaking out dangerous books every time they had tea. It was for the greater good. Isn't that what he always said? Stifling a yawn, she looked down at her notes and tried to see if why any of her ingredients were reacting negatively to her hair sample. Her most recent potion had literally blown her cauldron to melted silver (an extremely expensive, old cauldron of her father's which had hurt her to have lost) as soon as she had added the simple ring that was wrapped with her hair. Adding the ring by itself had no reaction. Her hair added had been volatile.

She was just packing up her things when she heard screaming coming from the boys dormitory. A disturbed Neville was running down the stairs.

"What happened?" Kat asked.

"Harry…need McGonagall…can't stop, sorry." He managed to get out while running out the picture. Minutes later her gram came hurrying into the tower in her nightgown and raced up the stairs, not even noticing that Kat was still up. Not much longer and her gram was walking back down the stairs with an extremely angry and sweaty Harry and a very worried looking Ron. "Katerina, I don't know what you are doing up but go to sleep. Now." Kat watched as her gram ushered the boys quickly out of the tower.

Kat did not want to sleep after what had happened. So instead she reopened her bag and pulled out a book and sat back down. She jumped nearly a foot when gram spoke again. "What are you still doing up? Nevermind, be a dear and go wake up Miss Weasley. Quickly please." And with that she disappeared back up the boys' dormitory stairs. Kat stood there for a second before comprehending what her gram had asked her to do. Running up the stairs to the fourth year floor of the tower Kat quietly opened the door and tried to remember which bed was Ginny's.

"Ginny," Kat gently pushed the redhead's shoulder, "Gin you have to wake up."

"Wha-?" Ginny rolled over and rubbed her eyes, "Kat? What are you doing here?"

"Something's happened. Come on, gram told me to wake you up."

"What do you mean? What's going on?"

"I don't know, gram asked me to wake you. Come on." Kat pulled harder on the girl's arm, forcing her to sit up. Kat grabbed Ginny's robe and tossed it to her.

The two girls walked quickly down the stairs and found McGonagall waiting by the door with Fred and George. "Professor, what's wrong?"

"I'm afraid that your father has been seriously injured Miss Weasley."

"What?"

"How?"

"Is he ok?"

"That's enough. I don't know much of what happened. Hurry, we must get back to the Headmaster."

"Where's Ron?"

"He is already there. Mr. Potter was the one to inform us of your father's injury."

"How could Harry know?" Fred asked.

"No more questions. Move. Katerina, GO TO BED."

* * *

Kat and Hermione were both extremely worried as none of the Weasleys or Harry came back from the Headmaster's office and none of the teachers, including her gram and grandfather would tell anyone what had occurred, only that it was a family emergency. A few days had passed before Kat finally got any information about what had happened. Christmas holidays had already begun and the other students had already left, Hermione included. Her grandfather had already left on urgent Order business and she was sitting down for tea with gram. She knew from the previous days not to ask if gram had any information about what had happened and Fred had yet to write her back.

"I know that you are worried about Mr. Weasley," Gram started, handing Kat a small china cup and laying out a plate of biscuits. "Arthur will be fine, though he will be spending Christmas at St. Mungos. Thank goodness for Harry, if it weren't for him, and Severus, Arthur would be dead."

"How did Harry see him?" Kat asked taking a sip of tea. She wasn't surprised that it had been lightly laced with calming draught. Kat _had_ been a large bundle of nerves lately.

"Albus believes he has a connection to You-Know-Who." Her gram said with distaste.

"That's horrible! What can be done to help him? And how did Professor Snape help?"

"I believe the Headmaster has a plan for that. Severus created an antivenin to the snake that bit Arthur." Gram leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She suddenly looked so tired and frail which scared Kat. Gram had always seemed strong and able. "I was wondering if you would like to go visit them for Christmas."

"I would love to see them, but what about you?"

"I'm going to be busy getting things together for the school. Your grandfather has suspicions about Dolores and her goals with Hogwarts. I'm afraid I won't be much company for the holiday and I would like you to have a happy one." She noticed the tears that were threatening to fall from Gram's eyes. The Scottish woman tried to pretend that she was as strong as a rock but Kat knew that the stress was getting to her.

"I miss them too." Kat whispered. "I don't want you to be alone the first Christmas without them."

"I will be fine my dear," Gram said patting Kat's hand. "This is war and war is hard. Go to your friends and have some fun."

Christmas morning Kat quickly ran down to the private labs and placed a small green box on the desk. She then had breakfast with her grandmother in her grandparents' private sitting room. Her grandfather was still away on Order business. Her grandparents had given her a beautiful locket that contained magical photos of her mother and father. Kat tried not to cry but couldn't stop the tears from falling. She gave her gram a small flower that would transfigure itself into any type of flower that gram wanted all she had to do was say the name. For her grandfather she left a large box filled with knitted socks (the man had an obsession with socks, especially crazy colored ones), a large bag of lemon drops, and a set of tickets for the muggle cinema (she had promised to take him after her vacation to the US). After goodbyes were said and hugs given, Katerina stepped into the fireplace and flooed to Grimwald Place. She stepped into what could only be described as happy chaos.

She could hear Mrs. Weasley upstairs trying to get Ron and Harry out of bed. Sirius was loudly singing Christmas songs downstairs with Fred and George (though she was sure that no holiday song was as crude as what they were singing). She glanced around the small library and was surprised to find Hermione sitting in the window seat, her nose stuck in a book.

"I thought you were going skiing with your parents."

"Ahhh," Hermione dropped the book and almost fell out of the seat, "Kat! Oh I was going to but you know…skiing isn't really my thing and I thought it might be better to be here…because of what's happening."

"Wouldn't you rather be with your parents on Christmas though?"

"Oh they understand. I told them that I would be studying for OWLS anyway. I'll see them this summer, it not that big of a deal." Hermione said matter of factly.

Kat stood there for a minute, not knowing what to say. She felt an unexpected desire to yell at the witch. How could she say such a thing with what had happened to Mr. Weasley? With how quickly her parents had been taken from her? Hermione was a muggleborn, the ones that Voldemort hated the most and by being Harry's best friend, Hermione was willingly putting her parents at a great risk. Deciding not to ruin the day by allowing her emotions to control her Kat bit her tongue, turned on her heel and walked down to the kitchens without saying another word to the confused brunette. When Kat walked into the kitchen she was greeted by a hilarious sight: Sirius, Fred, and George were marching around the large table with Santa hats on their heads, bellowing a ridiculous muggle Christmas song at the top of their lungs, adding their own inappropriate commentary as they went along.

"I am quite sure that that is not the reason Rudolph's nose glowed." The three looked up, smiling gleefully. Fred and George broke away to give her a large hug.

"They never say why his nose glowed,"

"Only that it did,"

"So we can only assume,"

"That it was because he was possessed." Fred gave her kiss on the cheek. "Happy Christmas, my beautiful angel."

"Ugh," George moaned, "Come on Sirius, I'm not sure we want to witness this sappy reunion."

"Happy Christmas, Kat." Uncle Sirius pulled her into a tight hug. Suddenly he was glaring at Fred, singing forgotten, "Keep your filthy little hands off of her."

"Uncle Sirius!"

"I would never do anything untoward to the lady," Fred said, giving a low bow. As Sirius went to follow George upstairs who had begun to sing even louder, Fred leaned into her and whispered, "At least nothing you didn't want."

"How are you doing? How's your dad doing? Why the bloody hell didn't you answer my owl?" Kat immediately began questioning him, slapping his arms for not letting her know anything about what was going on.

"Whoa, whoa slow down!" Fred backed up with his hands in the air. "I wasn't allowed to write all that happened because your grandfather told us he believes that all mail going in and out of Hogwarts was being monitored. Probably by Umbitch. Dad is doing fine, he'll be in St. Mungo's a few more weeks but they believe he'll make a full recovery. And I am doing fine, especially now that you are here with me. What about you?"

"Honestly?" Fred nodded, grabbing her hand. "I'm trying hard not to think about anything."

Fred caressed her cheek. "I'm here. You don't need to pretend with me." Kat looked up into his face and saw his sincerity in his words. "I love you Katerina." He moved slowly, as not to push her, wrapping his free arm around her waist while his hand on her cheek traveled around her neck and into her hair. He looked deep into her eyes before lowering his mouth to hers and Kat almost forgot how to breathe. She felt his tongue slide across the seam of her lips and she whimpered, the sound making Fred grip into her hair. She felt herself being guided backwards, her back gently hitting the wall behind her. Fred crushed his hips into her as his mouth devoured hers; she knew this was partly a response to what had happened and his need to heal himself with her. Kat didn't mind being used though, not by her Fred. Fred growled and lifted her up as Kat bit his bottom lip, sucking it into her mouth. Unconsciously her legs started to wrap around his waist pulling him even closer to her body. Just as she felt a hand slide underneath the front hem of her jumper, Fred jumped back his face in pain, his hands going to his backside. Kat stumbled before catching herself from falling to the ground.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" Mrs. Weasley had come downstairs. Behind her Ron and Harry were both blood red and trying to look everywhere but at Kat and Fred; Hermione and Ginny looked shocked; George was laughing; and her Uncle Sirius, well, he looked ready to commit murder. Kat felt her hair begin to crackle and looked down to see the bubble gum pink braid laying against her now wrinkled sweater.

"Oh hello," Fred started, "You see, Kat was…um…choking…and I was…just trying to help a friend out."

"Is that what it's called?" George laughed even harder.

"YOU TWO WILL NOT BE LEFT ALONE IN THIS HOUSE AGAIN! DO YOU HEAR ME?" Mrs. Weasley screamed.

"How attached are you to this one, Molly?" Sirius growled. Pointing his wand at Fred, "I thought I told you to keep your hands off."

"You can't kill me unless you want to kill your niece too." Fred backed away into the wall next to Kat.

"You aren't Bonded yet, at least you better not be bloody Bonded yet." Sirius was enraged. "She'd get over it eventually."

"It didn't seem like Kat was really fighting it though," Ginny pointed out with a grin.

"She did seem very…interested…" George laughed again, winking at Kat.

"What would your grandparents think?" Mrs. Weasley asked Kat with a frown.

"That I'm a normal teenage witch?" Kat asked innocently.

"A healthy, beautiful, irresistible normal teenage witch," Fred winked at her.

"FRED WEASLEY! You will behave as a proper wizard and keep your wandering hands to yourself. Now let's go before your father does something else stupid."

"Something else?" Fred raised an eyebrow.

"Dad's healer said that he tried to perform muggle stitches on himself, whatever those are," Ron said with confusion.

The group went by portkey to St. Mungo's to visit Mr. Weasley who seemed to be in quite a happy mood for someone who had nearly been eaten by a giant snake. Katerina quickly set about asking him about the muggle stitches and Mr. Weasley was cheerfully telling him all about a muggle healing book that he had found in muggle London.

"They are quite inventive, aren't they?" Kat smiled. "I can't imagine not performing some sort of magic every day and here they are, millions upon millions of them doing it every day."

"I do agree that magic is amazing, but there are so many things that muggles have figured out that we could honestly take notes from." Hermione stated, "Take for instance all the pureblood nonsense."

"Or their…what was it called again…technoulie?" Kat couldn't remember what Brad had called it.

"Technology?" Harry supplied.

"Yes! I've been wondering if there is a way to take their technology and use it for the wizarding world. I've been collecting books on muggle inventions since my trip to the States but haven't had much time to read through them." Kat rolled her eyes when Fred gave a grunt when she mentioned her trip across the pond. He still hadn't gotten over Brad and her unwanted first kiss. "Would you like to borrow some, Mr. Weasley?"

"That would be wonderful," Mr. Weasley said with a large toothy grin.

"Oh no, Kat, what have you started now?" Mrs. Weasley sighed. Kat giggled. Hermione, Kat and Mr. Weasley started talking about all the different things that muggles had that could possibly benefit the wizarding world while the others began a game of Exploding Snap. By the time they left the hospital, Kat had so many new things she would like to look up, especially getting a TV (whatever that was – Harry said she'd be able to watch the muggle movies she enjoyed so much at home) and taking it apart to figure out if she could manipulate it to be magically run. Hermione said that magic didn't react very well with electricity (another thing she'd have to research). She had exchanged gifts with everyone, the simple gold and silver bracelet from Fred being her favorite. As she fell asleep that night listening to Hermione's page turning and Ginny's soft breathing, Kat thought that it was a pretty good Christmas.

* * *

Severus was not a Christmas person. He hated pretty much all holidays, though Christmas wasn't too horrible as the offspring of other idiots weren't there getting into trouble. Walking towards his labs after breakfast he was prepared to spend the entirety of the day brewing and staying away from all other beings. After he opened the door and had reset the wards, Severus' eyes were drawn to a dark green box sitting in the middle of the empty desk. Looking at the tag on the top, he was surprised that it was addressed to him. Always being cautious, Severus took his wand and performed multiple revealing spells to determine if it was malignant or not. After determining the box to be harmless, Severus pulled the lid off and looked inside. There was a small note and a pair of what looked like rune covered socks. He grabbed the note and read.

 _Dear Professor,_

 _I know you'll probably not want these and will probably be mad at me for doing what you told me specifically not to do but oh well. You can give me detention when the holidays are over. I have developed a way to add protective runes to hand-knitted socks. To everyone else they will appear to be completely black socks (mustn't give anyone suspicions or Merlin forbid, add color to your wardrobe) but to you, they will appear black and green. The runes I've used are luck, safety, hope, shield, and energy. I may have stolen a few hairs and may have dabbled a little in blood magic but you deserve to have a little bit of extra defense when you are called to that maniac. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas._

 _Katerina Dumbledore_

Severus read the letter at least five times. He was amazed that the cheeky girl had actually managed to combine runes and potions at her age. He was also pissed that she went against his warnings and had played with Dark Magic. But most of all he was simply astounded that someone would go through so much trouble for someone like him. There was actually someone in this world that wanted to try and protect him. He didn't deserve such a gift. The girl confused the hell out of him. He had been astonished the one night when he had entered her mind and seen the image that was undoubtedly her checking out _his_ arse. He had been so shocked that he had completely forgotten to take off points or add more detentions when she had abruptly run out of the room before he had dismissed her, her hair a vibrant pink. He sat down on a stool looking at the socks again, tracing his finger over the runes that were circling the cuff and leg of each one. He understood most of the runes, but couldn't understand why she had added hope.

A few days later when the Dark Lord called him, Severus took a few seconds to put on the socks and he felt his spirit rise just a bit before grabbing his robes and rushing out of the castle.


	8. Magical Outbursts

Disclaimer: Not my world, just playing with the characters.

 **Chapter 8 – Magical Outbursts**

A few months later Kat was eating breakfast when Hermione, Ron, and Harry came in with extremely large grins on their faces. Kat assumed at first it was that the night before the majority of the DA had managed corporal Patronuses until she noticed the paper that Hermione was waving around. Kat thought back to the moment when her beautiful fox Patronus had jumped from the tip of her wand, running around her feet and then racing over to rub against Fred's legs. She had been extremely confused when his had been a large lioness with magnificent wings pressed to her sides. Everyone in the room at stared at it, trying to figure out what the creature was, as it pressed it's head into Kat's stomach, a soft purr emitting from its' throat.

"Harry did it!" Hermione's voice brought her back to the present.

"Did what?"

"Look!" Hermione shoved a paper that had The Quibbler written across the top. The article that she was pointing to large letters that declared:

Harry Potter Speaks Out At Last:

The truth about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named

And the night I saw Him return.

"Just saw it mate,"

"And you either have a death wish,"

"Or gargantuan set of ba-" Fred's comment was cut off by a undignified cough. Looking up at the head table Kat saw that Umbridge was turning a very horrible shade of purple. She turned towards Harry with such palpable hatred that Hermione and Ron stepped back. Glancing over at the Slytherin table, she also saw that Harry was not making any new friends over there either. He had named quite a few of their fathers as Death Eaters. She watched as Umbridge stood up and stormed out of the room, most likely to go and get yet another decree to ban something. She saw her grandmother try hard to hold back a smirk while some of the other professors were not as successful. Her grandfather however was not even bothering to hide his strong pride as his gaze settled upon Harry, Ron and Hermione.

The week that followed was highly entertaining as Umbridge had declared ownership of The Quibbler to be an acceptable cause to expel students. Such a strong banning on the article made sure that every student in Hogwarts read the entire thing. No one could resist such temptation. She watched as her fellow classmates were randomly stopped and forced to empty their pockets but only a complete moron would have carried it around without spelling it first. Kat and the twins had been stopped at least once a day and Kat was getting extremely frustrated so she decided to have a bit of fun. Kat put a simple coloring hex that she had tweaked a bit on a small notebook that she had made to resemble the forbidden magazine. The twin had looked horrified when the smug witch pulled the notebook out of Kat's bag but Kat just smirked. Umbridge tried to open the book and suddenly the entire hallway burst into laughter when at her touch the hex had activated and turned Umbridges' hair neon green.

"How dare you!" Umbridge screeched catching sight of her reflection in a window.

"I'm very sorry _Professor_ ," Kat stated sweetly. "It's a protection hex seeing as that is my personal diary. It can only be opened by me."

"There is a simple counter-curse Dolores," a deep voice drawled from behind them, "Any simpleton can create a small coloring hex. It's quite…uninventive." Severus Snape came up and glanced at the three students.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor!" Umbridge turned and stormed up the stairs, threatening students as she passed them for simple infractions.

"Interesting color choice, Miss Dumbledore." He continued walking down the hallway, his black robes billowing out behind him.

"How does he come out of nowhere?" Fred wondered.

"And he seemed unconcerned by you hexing a teacher," George added. "You'll need to tell us your secrets."

"Loved the color choice,"

"It brings out her eyes."

"It'll be even better when she finds out that I changed the hex." Kat said with an evil twinkle in her eyes.

"Changed it?"

"How?"

Kat had a mischievous smile, "Oh just that it won't be going anywhere any time soon…Every time she tries the counter-curse, it'll change to another color." She started to walk towards her next class with the twins holding their stomachs from laughing too hard.

When the trio arrived at the Great Hall that night for dinner, they could not contain their laughter when they saw that Umbridge was now supporting rainbow colored spikey hair. The look on her face could curdle milk when she saw that Kat had entered the room. Kat innocently waved to the angry woman who sputtered and turned in her seat to speak to her grandfather who, try as he might, could not help the small upturn of his lips.

"What did you three do?" All of Gryffindor house was looking up at them, looks of glee upon their faces.

"We did nothing," Fred denied.

"Yeah, it was all Kat." George looked offended that Hermione had blamed them.

"It's nothing dangerous," Kat said, her hair an innocent shade of yellow, "She should know better than to try and read a student's personal journal." She started to serve herself some of the roasted chicken.

"What do you keep in this journal?" Fred asked his eyes bright with interest.

"Absolutely nothing." Kat grinned at him. "And the fact that it looks suspiciously like The Quibbler was completely pure coincidence." The table laughed.

"You're evil."

"She's bloody brilliant!" Ron was staring at her with awe.

"She's also taken," Fred growled throwing a roll at Ron's head who blushed. George laughed at his brothers shaking his head.

"I've never seen a coloring hex work like that," Hermione looked at her, "How is it lasting so long and why is it changing colors?"

"I've been playing around with some hexes. Oh don't look at me like that, it won't stay too long," Kat started, her hair glowing brighter with each happy feeling, "Just a week or two."

* * *

Severus had to use more self-control than he wished to admit to keep from outright laughing when Umbridge walked into the Hall with rainbow hair that was spiking out like the quills of a porcupine. He listened in to the conversation around him.

"Oh my, Dolores what delightful hair," Pomona said with a slight giggle.

"Delightful? I can't get the bloody stuff to go back to normal." Dolores glared at the Herbology Professor, her eyes narrow and cold. "If I could find a way, I'd have that menace expelled, along with her two sidekicks."

"A student did this?" Filius seemed to be fighting back a grin. "Well, haven't you tried the counter? Surely it's a simple coloring hex."

"Of course I've tried," Dolores growled, "And every time I do, it changes to a new bloody color."

"Really? I wonder how they managed to do it as that is quite an undertaking for a student. Absolutely interesting. I'll have to ask her ho –" Filius saw the look in her eyes and quickly stopped his comment.

"You have surely heard of a covering known as a hat," Severus sneered.

"My hair is keeping me from using one. As soon as I get it close to my head the hat is whipped away." Dolores looked absolutely livid when she admitted this.

"Absolutely astonishing charm work –" Filius quickly found his dinner to be more interesting than continuing the conversation.

Severus noticed that both Albus and Minerva were being strangely quiet about the mischief their granddaughter was doing to a teacher. He looked down at the young troublemaker in question and was pleased to see her hair a bright, blinding yellow as her friends took turns looking between Katerina and Dolores. He could see that she was very proud of herself and if he were to be honest he was quite proud of her too. He had no idea how the young girl was managing the year, especially after the summer she had gone through. She was now able to keep him out of her mind completely, unlike the disaster that had been Potter, the magical socks were working more than he thought was possible, her grades, if he were to believe the other teachers, were all at Outstanding, and now she was taking hexes and charms and reworking them, making them more efficient or more disturbing. She was going to grow up to be a formidable witch and he found himself feeling sadness when he thought of how quickly the school year was passing. For the first time in his many years of teaching he was actually considering offering a student a Mastery apprenticeship. He knew that Katerina would easily succeed at becoming a Potions Master if she wanted.

As he watched, he was taken back by the look of absolute admiration and love he saw on the face of Fred Weasley when he looked at Kat. The last time he had seen someone look at another with such passion and desire was when James Potter had declared himself to Lily. Severus had been devastated when he had happened upon the first kiss of Potter and Lily, when he saw the magical aura wrapping around them. They weren't true soulmates but they had been close. He knew at that moment that he had never stood a chance with Lily but Severus, even so many years later, still had no idea how to get Lily out of his heart. Growling at himself, he stood from the table and walked down to his labs.

Was he actually feeling jealously towards a student? Obviously he needed to get out more if he was finding himself envious of a bunch of teenagers. Right as he was about to drown his sorrows in fine whiskey, he gasped as pain seared through his arm. _Of course, he has the perfect timing._ Turning again to leave his rooms, Severus wondered if he would ever be free and if he would ever find someone who would look at him with unbridled adoration in their eyes.

* * *

Kat was confused at what she was hearing. She didn't understand it. First Trelawney had been fired, quite publicly in front of the entire student body but now Harry was telling her that the Headmaster had fled. She was starting to breathe heavily, her chest rising quicker with each intake of air. The entire DA was now in the Gryffindor common room, having had to run when Umbridge and her group of power hungry Slytherins had broken down a wall into the Room of Requirement and started throwing hexes towards the group.

"Slow down Harry," Hermione said calmly, "Start over. What happened?"

"Someone snitched. Someone told Umbridge what we were doing and where." She saw that Harry was getting mad. "She took me to Dumbledores' office and Fudge was there, so was Kingsley and Percy." Kat heard low growls coming from the Weasley siblings at the sound of their estranged brother's name. "Umbridge is using Veritaserum – has to be. She got Marietta to confess about the meeting, but somehow she wouldn't admit to all the meetings we've had. They had our list…the one where we named ourselves…" Harry looked sad but upset. "He took the blame for himself."

"What?!"

"But why?"

"Shh," Hermione glared at them, "What happened?"

"They wanted to take him to Azkaban. He said that he would not be joining them, that he would not 'come quietly'. Of course McGonagall tried to defend him, she was willing to take on the Minister, but he wouldn't allow her to. He grabbed a hold of Fawkes and he disappeared. He's gone."

Kat was swaying. She had not realized she had been doing it until Fred asked for the second time if she was alright. Shaking her head sharply, Kat looked at him and smiled. "He'll be fine. We'll be fine. Everything will be just fine." What she didn't know was that this would be the start of the worst few weeks of the school year. She knew that both Fred and George were watching her carefully so she stood up, said goodnight, and went up to lay down. _He'll be fine. Of course he'll be fine, dammit, he's Albus fucking Dumbledore_.

* * *

Severus was eating a muffin when he heard a loud cry of outrage. "HOW DARE SHE?" Looking down, he saw bright red hair with deep streaks of black spreading out around a small girl with the look of murder in her eyes. His eyes widened as he saw the cups and plates on the all the tables begin to shake. His coworkers all seemed too shocked to do anything other than watch.

"Kat, its ok," he heard her young paramour say as he bravely tugged at her arm to get her to sit back down.

"DON'T YOU BLOODY TELL ME IT'S OK FRED WEASLEY!" She roared. The cups and plates had begun to levitate off the tables. The other students started to back away from the tables, all eyes upon the now raven-haired witch. Severus palmed his wand as he stood up from his seat, Minerva following closely.

"Katerina, calm down now," Minerva said.

"THAT…THAT EVIL…" Kat growled, her hair seeming to grow even larger. The cups and plates that had been levitating suddenly began to explode. Screams were heard as students ducked to get out of the way. Severus had never witnessed such raw power.

" _Stupify_." The small whisper came from behind Kat. He watched as her eyes closed and her hair shot back to a pure white, her small frame dropping into the waiting arms of Fred. Severus glanced up, shocked to see a scared Hermione Granger looking at her wand with horror. "I'm so sorry. Professors, I'm sorry but I didn't know what Kat could do with such power. I –"

"It's alright Miss Granger," Minerva said gently, walking over to check on her grandchild, "She was becoming dangerous to everyone. I'm afraid we would have had to do the same. Mr. Weasley, I'm certain that you and your brother can get her to Madam Pomfrey?" Both boys nodded their heads, Fred easily standing up with the unconscious girl in his arms holding her tightly to him. Severus watched as they quickly ran out of the room. He noticed Minerva glance around, "I do believe the rest of you have classes you should be heading to."

Watching the students warily leave the room all whispering about what they had just witnessed, he turned to Minerva who looked quite shocked. "I've never seen such raw power from someone like that."

"Neither have I. Thank goodness that wretched woman was not here to witness it. Without Albus here, I'm not sure I'd be able to keep her from expelling Kat." Minerva said with a frown.

"What do you think caused it?" Filius had come up to them. "To be able to do such damage without even touching her wand – I think she'd be able to give Albus a run for his money."

"I would happen a guess that it was the removal of Albus as Headmaster and that _woman_ stepping in as his replacement." Severus had never heard Minerva speak so distastefully of another teacher, even when Trelawney was obviously deep in her cups. A malevolent grin spread across her face. "You know, the Headmaster's office has closed itself off to her."

* * *

"Kat I am so sorry that I had to stupefy you, I really am." As soon as she had made her way back to the common room Hermione had rushed up to her and started apologizing. She could hardly remember what had happened that morning in the Great Hall and when Madam Promfry had woken her up in the hospital wing, the mediwitch had demanded that Kat stay the entire day to make sure there were no lingering side effects.

"It's ok Hermione," Kat noticed the look Hermione gave her. "Honestly I'm not mad. Fred and George explained what I did. I'm kind of confused that I don't remember a lot of it. I just remember getting so angry that _she_ had taken over and my magic just seemed to take over me. After that I remember waking up in the hospital bed with a godawful headache."

"You don't remember?" Harry seemed surprised.

Kat shook her head. "Not really."

"Kat, you literally exploded all of the dishware in Hogwarts in one go." Ron said in awe. "Your power was unbelievable."

"What spell did you use?" Lee asked. "It was terrifying."

"I um…" Kat looked at her feet. "I don't think I used one." She looked at the twins who both shook their heads. "Actually I didn't even have my wand out it was still in my bag."

Complete silence met her. She looked up to see the common room full of faces that held a mixture of emotions: awe, pride, confusion, and sadly, fear. Then Harry started laughing. "What hell does old Voldy need with me when we can just piss you off? He'd have no chance if you can do that without a wand."

Kat could feel the familiar rush of energy as her hair turned bubble gum pink again. Suddenly everyone was laughing again. What Kat didn't tell anyone was that the power scared her especially the fact that she obviously had no control over it. _What if I hurt someone?_

* * *

"Are you sure we should be eating here?"

"I mean, are we safe from exploding plates?"

"Don't need my fork to start stabbing me." Fred began to mime being attacked by invisible silverware.

"Dammit, will you two shut the hell up?" Kat glared at the redheaded idiots, her hair turning that obnoxious pink it did when she was extremely embarrassed. "For not wanting it to happen again, you two sure are trying to annoy me."

"Maybe we want to see it again,"

"Maybe we've decided that it would be worth it,"

"Especially if the toad is here."

"You want me expelled?" Kat asked.

"Of course not!" Fred looked shocked, "But we've decided that the new _Head_ could use some mayhem thrown her way."

"You two can't be doing such things, you'll be expelled," Hermione whispered, sitting down between Ron and Harry.

"We don't care anymore," George said.

"If it weren't for Kat, we'd be gone within minutes," Fred added. "In the meantime, we are going to have some fun with our new leader."

"Speaking of the evil witch, here she comes." George said.

Kat looked up to see Umbridge coming into the Great Hall followed by three official looking men. "Who is she with?" Before anyone could answer her, Umbridge had surprisingly stopped in front of the Gryffindor table, smirking at Kat. The largest of the three men stepped out next to Umbridge and pulled out a scroll.

"Katerina Arianna Dumbledore? You need to come with us please."

"Like hell she will," Fred and George stood up.

"Who are you?"

"Mr. and Mr. Weasley, unless you wish to join your little friend here in her expulsion, I expect you to sit down." Umbridge said with a smug smile.

"EXPULSION?"

"What is the meaning of this?" She heard the admonishment of her grandmother.

"Mrs. McGonagall, I am Alacys Dribble from the Board of Governors for Hogwarts School. We have been informed of a dangerous outburst of uncontained magic that caused the endangerment of the student body by one Katerina Dumbledore. I am here to escort Miss Dumbledore to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries where these two mediwizards will examine Miss Dumbledore's magical core so we can determine if she poses a threat to the magical community." As the portly man babbled on, Kat could only watch as the smile on Umbridge's face grew. "After which it will be determined if her actions require a trial or not."

"There's nothing wrong with Kat." George said.

"She will not be going anywhere with you!" Fred yelled, pointing his wand at the man.

"Absolutely not!" Gram yelled. "Fred Weasley, put your wand down this instant. You too, George. What happened to my granddaughter yesterday was purely done out of emotional exhaustion. I'm not sure if you are aware, but Katerina has been put through some very demanding experiences this year."

"We have been informed of what occurred this previous summer," Mr. Dribble acknowledged. "We have also been informed that she has not sought a medical evaluation by a mind healer."

"And if we were to set up appointments with a mind healer?" Gram asked.

"That would help in her case, but…" he was quickly interrupted by Umbridge.

"She endangered the entire student body that was present for breakfast, Minerva, surely even her stature as golden grandchild is not as important as the rest of the students we are here to protect. Her temper has been an issue all year. I even had to ask her to be removed from my class _on the very first day_ after an undeserved outburst upon my teaching techniques."

"She only did so because of your own behavior," Harry growled.

"Quiet Mr. Potter, we have this handled." Gram didn't even spare him a glance. "Gentlemen, how about we move this to a quieter room, away from the ears of the young people?"

"I know what you are doing Minerva, and it won't work," Umbridge sneered. "I am the head of this school and I have decided that she is a danger to the rest of the students."

"She has done nothing to require her expulsion from this school. Everyone has times of emotional magical outbursts especially when stressed, hers was just larger than most because of everything that has happened to her," Gram gave her an encouraging smile. "No student or teacher was harmed in her accident, it was quickly contained, and we are more than willing to set up appointments with a mind healer to help her process the trauma that has occurred."

Kat could see the smile on Umbridges' face disappearing as she realized she was losing the battle. Mr. Dribble looked at Umbridge with a look of accusation, "You informed us differently Headmistress. We were told that there was bodily harm during the incident."

"Unless the cups and plates have become alive, no harm was done to any living being." Gram was absolutely seething.

Fred found his voice again, snapping his head to Umbridge, "You weren't there, how could you know if Kat had hurt anyone."

"You were not present to witness the occurrence?" Dribble was starting to look angry with Umbridge.

"Well no, not presently," Umbridge was stuttering over her words. "But I have very trustworthy sources."

"Madam McGonagall, as we were not given a complete report on the incident that occurred, we will not be taking Miss Dumbledore with us. I do ask that you set up weekly appointment with a mind healer to make sure that something of this magnitude does not happen again." He sighed and glanced briefly at Kat, who could not believe her incredible luck. "However, I must require a full physical and magical core examination before she may continue with her classes. And until it has been completed and submitted to the Board, she must turn over her wand to her guardian."

"What!?" Kat stared in horror at the man. "You can't take my wand! I have NEWTS in two weeks!"

"Katerina, it'll be ok." Gram stated, "I will go straight to my office and fill out the needed paperwork. You'll have the examination done and your wand back within the week. Thank you gentlemen for your time, I'm sure you are as frustrated as I am about the waste of it. Come with me Katerina."


	9. They All Left Me

Disclaimer: Still sitting here owning none of it.

 **Chapter 9 – They All Left Me**

Fred Weasley could not believe what had just happened. The vile woman had actually tried to get Kat expelled just because of a magical outburst. Everyone in the wizarding world knew that they were not uncommon, especially after trauma and his beautiful Kat had been put through absolute hell. He could tell that his twin was just as angry as they watched the blue haired Kat follow her grandmother out of the Great Hall. The three men had left quickly, none of them saying another word to Umbridge, who stalked off furious that she had not succeeded in her plan. Fred noticed with some surprise that Snape of all people looked slightly concerned about the rainbow haired girl when they had passed him but the look quickly vanished from his face.

"Poor Kat," he heard Ginny whisper.

"Dumbasses the lot of them though," Ron said.

"RONALD!"

"It's true Hermione, just think of it. What Kat did, she did it _without_ her wand."

"That evil woman is out to get Kat for some reason." Ginny said.

"It's probably to get to Dumbledore again." Harry said grimly.

"I think, George, that it is time to stop caring."

"I believe you are right Fred."

"Tonight?"

"Tonight."

"What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing to worry about little brother," Fred said with glee.

"Just make sure you are all in the Great Hall at dinner time, so you won't be accused."

"Accused of what?" Hermione asked with suspicion.

"Just do it."

Fred smiled to himself. No one would hurt his beautiful angel and get away with it, not while he was still breathing. The toad would have no idea what was coming.

* * *

It was an unnerving feeling to be without her wand. In a strange way, she felt almost naked and she definitely did not feel any level of protection. She had wanted to hide away in her room the remainder of the night but Fred and George had made her promise that she would be in the Great Hall for dinner and as silly as it was, she would never break a promise to them. When she sat down next to Hermione, she was annoyed to see that while she was there her boys were not. She was wondering what the hell they were up to when a loud BANG shook the castle. Suddenly a large firework, shaped as a beautiful red and gold dragon, was soaring into the hall and circling above their heads. Little pops went off as the dragon spit out what seemed to be miniature dragons that immediately spread their wings and started dive bombing the tables.

Kat could not hold in her laughter as she watched the dragons racing around the ceiling occasionally dropping to scare someone, whose targets seemed to be primarily those at Slytherin table. Umbridge came running down the middle of the room, demanding who was responsible for this, but all the students were too busy laughing and pointing at the beautiful display. Suddenly the large dragon sat up on its' hind legs and pointed out the door with its large pointed claws. Kat jumped up with the other students to race out of the room, following the sparkling beast. Kat watched in amusement as the dragon spit out again, this time aiming for a corner of the entrance hall. A large swamp was suddenly appearing, taking over a decent portion of the room.

Looking up she watched as the dragon yet again began to fly, this time heading out into the front courtyard of the castle. Standing there with large grins on their faces were Fred and George. She shook her head at them, amazed that they had kept this all secret from her.

"YOU!" She heard Umbridge wheeze.

"Us," Fred gave a small bow.

"You think this is funny? Destroying school property?"

"We didn't destroy anything actually," George said smartly.

"You two are going to find out what it means to be troublemakers in my school…"

"No, I don't think we are." Fred interrupted her looking at his brother. Kat was wondering what the hell they were doing.

"I think you're right brother, I think it's time to test our luck in the big bad world."

Kat's eyes widened as she realized what they meant. She knew that they had purchased the retail store at Diagon Alley but she was so sure they'd stick it out for the year. Oh she was going to kill them both for this.

" _Accio brooms_ " George pointed his wand at the castle.

As they came rushing out of the doors, both Fred and George jumped onto the brooms. Fred came racing towards her. "I know this is quick love, but I couldn't let what they did to you go and well you know we were talking about leaving for so long." Kat nodded, shaking her head at his craziness. "Can't stay love, they are aiming wands at us now." With a laugh, Fred pulled her to him, crashing his lips to hers. She could hear the catcalls and the thunderous applause as Fred let her go. "I love you. I will talk to you soon."

"Peeves, give her hell." George said. The poltergeist grinned and nodded. And with that the twins flew off into the night to the sound of deafening cheers.

"We sure do know how to pick 'em when it comes to guys, don't we?" Glancing over she saw Angelina with a broad grin across her face as she waved to George. Kat couldn't help but agree.

* * *

It had been a horrendous few weeks since the boys had left and they hadn't even bothered to owl her to see how she had done with her NEWT exams. She was one of the insane ones who had scheduled her exams to fit within only one week instead of drawing them out over two. She had promised herself that night that she was going to send them a howler in the morning that would make Molly Weasley proud. The midnight moon was bright and shining in the clear night sky as she walked with Professor Snape to help him collect some ingredients that could only be collected at night for his stores. She was spending more and more time with the cantankerous man and had started to become accustomed to his rather difficult temperament. Right now she had to almost jog behind him to keep up with his long legs as they walked down the path towards Hagrids' hut. She had come to view the cranky man as a friend and enjoyed their discussions that they would have until he would suddenly shut down and storm away, ignoring her for a few days.

As they walked, she noticed the group of students surrounding Firenze, the new divination teacher. She knew that it was the fifth years taking their Divination OWL and that Harry and Ron were over in the group. She thought of what poor Ron had been going through that week as so many people were asking him about his brothers and comparing him to them. Everyone wanted to know more about the crazy antics that the boys had been up to when they were young and wanted to know if they had been to their shop yet (which was a stupid question – obviously they were still at Hogwarts just like the rest of the students). This line of thinking made her mad again and she saw Severus (she could not make herself stop thinking of the man by his given name though she valued her life enough to never say it out loud) glance at her as she knew her hair had probably flamed red again.

Fred and George were lucky that she had no way of visiting their store yet as she now had her wand again and was thinking about coming up with some creative hexes just to get the boys back for leaving her. She was thankful to have her wand back having felt extremely uncomfortable the week she had been without it. Somehow Gram had managed to fit in her examination on a weekend so that she would not miss her first NEWT exam that Monday (you couldn't do Charms examinations without a wand). She had passed the magical core checkup with flying colors, though to her and her gram's surprise, the mediwitch had three other medical examiners come and confirm her findings. Apparently Kat had one of the most powerful magical cores they had ever registered.

Kat looked up as Severus stopped in his tracks. Wondering why the dark man was not moving or talking when she saw where his eyes were following. Frowning, she wondered what Umbridge was doing out so late followed by so many other wizards. It appeared as if they were headed towards Hagrids' hut. Kat did not understand why Severus pulled her back into the shadows of the trees and stood in front of her. "Sir?"

"Quiet."

They watched in silence as the group of wizards walked to Hagrids' hut and knocked. The door opened and she saw Hagrid's head glancing out then allowed all six of figures into the small room. She heard a roar of anger come from the hut and tried to walk towards it but Severus pulled her back again. She saw the door open again and saw Hagrid emerge, five red beams of light surrounding his body. She instantly recognized the enchanted ropes that were keeping the half-giant contained.

"No!"

"Be quiet!" Severus growled, "We do not want her to know of our location! We cannot do anything for the man."

She then saw another figure coming fast out towards Hagrid's hut. She had no doubt in her mind that it was her gram and this was confirmed when she heard her shout. "How dare you! HOW DARE YOU!" She could see her gram holding her wand out in front of her. "Leave him alone! Why are you attacking him? He has done no wrong –" She stopped midsentence as her body was flung backwards as the light of five stunners went straight into her chest. Kat watched in horror as her grandmother fell to her back.

" **NO!** " Kat screamed, pushing Severus' arm out of her way and racing towards her grandmother's unmoving body. She screamed again when two strong arms wrapped around her body and held strong, not allowing her to continue. "Let me go! Let me go now dammit!"

As Severus held her Kat felt something snap inside, just as it had in the Great Hall the morning of her outburst. She dug deep into her magic and pushed out, feeling a pang of guilt at the sound of surprise that came from Severus as her magic flung him backwards. Not chancing a look behind her, Kat ran as fast as she could towards her grandmother. In the back of her mind she thought she heard screams of Hagrid and the evil bitch toad but she ignored them. Faster than she had ever run she made it to her grandmother and shook her.

"Gram," Kat cried, "Gram! _Rennervate_! Gram!" She saw her eyes flicker and felt a glimmer of hope. She didn't know what she was thinking or how she knew it would work but she thought with all of her mind about the hospital wing and pushed her magic into her grandmother. She felt the tingle of the wards of Hogwarts give slightly and with a pop her grandmother's body was gone.

"What magic is this?" She heard one of the unknown men ask.

"You! What did you with Minerva?" Umbridge had the nerve to point her wand at her.

It angered her. Greatly. How dare this woman, this creature attack so many of her loved ones? How dare this thing point her wand at her after all that she had taken from her? It suddenly occurred to her that she was no longer a student; she had technically finished being a student when her last NEWT exam was administered that afternoon. She saw three more wands join Umbridges'. Two of the men were missing, but so was Hagrid. _Expelliarmus_. She only thought the spell, no wand in her hand, when four wands came zooming towards her. She watched as Umbridge stopped short. The three men looked at her with cautious interest. She noticed the group of students that had stopped and were watching. She thought she saw a billow of black robes but she didn't look. "HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY GRANDMOTHER!" She heard a loud ringing in her ears as she felt her magic swell around her and then a feeling of deep emptiness engulfed her as she pushed her magic out towards the witch and three wizards in front of her. She watched with cold eyes as all four figures were forcefully thrown backwards and away from her.

For the second time that night she felt strong arms embrace her from behind and this time she did not fight them. She felt her magic draw back into her body and as her energy began to swiftly dissipate she turned toward the man holding her. Without glancing up at his face, Kat wrapped her arms around him, laid her head to his chest and cried. _They all left me. They all left me._ Her mind was on a loop, repeating the same phrase over and over. She did not realize that she had begun to whisper it aloud. She thought she was moving but didn't bother to lift her head to check. Closing her eyes, she promised herself that everyone was ok. They would all be ok.


	10. Back to Grimwald Place

**Chapter 10 – Back to Grimwald Place**

Severus held the poor girl close to his chest as he moved quickly towards the castle to his quarters. He had yelled at the fifth years who were watching stunned as Katerina clung to their stern Potions teacher and their examination professor to get moving and picked Katerina up into his arms. He was willing to stop for no one and thankfully at this hour not many were awake. His cold heart broke a bit when he heard her quiet whispers. He knew that he had to get the girl out of Hogwarts and away from Dolores before she woke up. How would they explain that a seventeen year old girl had disarmed them and stunned them quite forcefully without her wand _and_ without speaking out loud? He himself would never have believed it except that he had seen the powerful display that Katerina had done in the Great Hall. Getting to his door he quickly uttered his password and rushed to the fireplace. Stepping in he called for Grimwald Place.

Stepping off of the hearth he called for Albus. He walked over to a sofa and placed the now sleeping girl onto the soft seat being careful not to wake her. He didn't know yet that the girl wouldn't wake for a long time as her core hadn't been prepared for such violent magic. As he waited for Albus and most likely Sirius to come into the sitting room Severus pondered about the strange friendship he had developed with the headstrong female in front of him. At the beginning of the year he would not have believed that he would allow someone, especially not a student, to become close to him. He had begun to drop his guard with her, it was particularly easy with Kat because she was one of three people who knew of his role, the others being himself and Albus. He only had to pretend to be the bad guy when they were around other people but when it was just him and Kat he could be gentler and have an actual conversation that was logical and enlightening.

"Severus, what is it?" Turning he saw Albus coming into the room with Black following him. "What is Katerina doing here?"

"It's happened again, only this time much worse."

"What's happened?" Sirius looked confused, looking back from Severus to Albus.

"Another outburst? What has caused it?" Albus was staring at his young grandchild.

"Umbridge just like before. Guards from Azkaban came for Hagrid and Minerva tried to stop them. Albus, Minerva took five stunners straight to her chest." He saw Albus close his eyes and when he reopened them Severus knew by the cold stare looking back that Albus had shielded himself. He had never told Katerina the type of shield both her grandfather and himself used – the same one that he had told her not to attempt. Albus nodded for him to continue. "Kat did not react well. I tried to contain her but her magic was too strong. She did something to Minerva and used her magic to break the wards, from what I believe she must have sent Minerva to the hospital wing. She then managed to disarm and stun Dolores and three of the men from the prison _without_ her wand _or_ speaking. I rushed her here before Dolores awoke."

Albus nodded sharply. "What of Hagrid?"

"He managed to escape though two of the guards followed him. I know nothing else about his whereabouts."

"Wait, how could a seventeen year old take on four grown, trained wizards without her wand? Without speaking?" Sirius was now looking at his niece with unrestrained awe.

"Our little Kit-Kat is an extremely talented witch, much stronger than even she realizes, and anger seems to be the key to that power right now." Albus was looking lovingly at the young girl still passed out. "I have a feeling that the event that took her parents' lives was what awoke this power. I just wish that it hadn't taken something so horrible for it manifest."

"I must get back, they'll be wondering where I've gone." Severus turned to the fireplace. "She has already completed all of her NEWTS so there is no worry there. I will inform Minerva what has happened when she awakens."

"Severus," Albus looked pained, "Is she going to be alright? Will my Minnie survive?"

"Of course she will Albus, even if it just so she can rub it in that horrible woman's face. You know her; she's got nine lives and will claw anyone who tries to steal one from her." With that Severus turned and flooed back to his quarters to wait for the call from Umbridge. He was not expecting the one he received or how much crazier his week was going to become.

* * *

Kat woke up in a strange bed and promptly freaked out. Grabbing her wand from the nightstand next to her she jumped out of bed and looked around for someone to hex. It took a few minutes before she realized that she was in the same room that she usually shared with Ginny and Hermione when she was at Grimwald Place. Calming down slightly she heard a lot of commotion downstairs. That's odd. She cast a quiet tempus and nearly fell down in shock. She had been asleep for two weeks. Goodness no wonder it was so loud in the house, school was already out of session. She jumped again when the doorknob turned and had just started saying a jinx when she noticed bright red hair and the shocked face of the man she loved.

"Fred!"

"Oh love, you're finally awake!" Fred quickly rushed over to her and pulled her into a hard hug. His voice was thick when he spoke again. "Of course you would wake up the only minute I leave the room. How are you feeling? You nearly spent your magical core!"

"I what? Oh! Gram! How is she? Is she ok? Why are there so many people downstairs? What happened to that horrible woman? Why haven't you owled me you twat?"

"Always with the questions." Fred smiled, pulling her over to the bed. He reached up and pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "My curious Kat, I've missed you so. To answer your questions, McGonagall is fine though Dumbledore is keeping her in bed for the next few weeks; I did owl you, constantly in fact. That horrible woman kept my letters from getting to you. Speaking of her, you'll have to wait until you hear the whole story. If you're anything like me and George you'll be pissed at Harry and company for doing something so stupid without you."

"What did they do?"

"We can discuss that later. It has been weeks since I have talked to you and there is something much more important to do first."

"And that would be?"

Fred grinned and then pulled her mouth to his. Kat gasped with pleasure as she felt the pressure of his body against hers. Deepening the kiss, she fell back against the bed pulling Fred on top of her. She smiled when heard his hiss of desire as he moved his body against hers his weight causing her core to begin to burn. When his hand slid up her shirt and found her nipple her body unconsciously thrust upward to rub on the hard length pressing against his pants. Panting with anticipation, Fred slowly backed away, looking at her with hooded eyes. "I'm not sure our first time should be with a house full of people who are waiting for you to wake up. I'm quite certain your grandparents and Sirius would skin me alive if I took you while they were in the house."

"Well they wouldn't be able to actually kill you afterwards," Kat gave him a large grin, "They don't want me dead too!"

Fred started laughing. "Yes, my soulmate will keep me alive." He pushed Kat back down onto the bed and kissed her soundly. They had gotten to the point of Fred having his shirt off and Kat sitting up so that Fred could remove hers when the door opened. They were so involved in what they were doing that they didn't notice until they heard a squeal and the door slam shut again. Outside the door they could hear a short conversation.

"Gin, I thought you were going to get Fred for lunch. Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I mean I'm fine. Kat's up."

"What! We have to tell everyone!"

"Hermione no we can't! At least not yet. And you should be resting!"

"I'm doing fine. It's completely healed and I've taken all my potions." Kat looked at Fred with worry but he motioned that they would explain later. "Now why can't we let everyone know about Kat?"

"Well you see Fred's in there…"

"Yes?" Hermione sounded confused.

"Without a shirt…and his hands were underneath Kat's…and let's just go have lunch."

"OH!"

Kat looked at Fred and gave a shy grin. "Should we go down now or should we give them something else to talk about?"

"Probably should head on out, Hermione is a horrible liar." Fred said with a laugh.

"Well come on then." Standing up Kat fixed her shirt and her hair. Looking over at Fred she gave him a heated look and licked her lips. "We are finishing what we started here very soon."

"Oh yes. As soon as possible."

Kat walked to the door and opened it, grabbing Fred's hand as she stepped through the doorway. She was extremely curious as to what had happened in the last fortnight and she wanted to know exactly why her magic had been almost burnt out. All she remembered was gram getting hit and then just like last time she didn't remember anything else. She tried to remember what occurred and this only caused her to have a headache. After getting hugs from everyone they sat down at the kitchen table, Hermione and Ginny both blushing when they made eye contact with the couple. Fred was right. Kat was extremely mad at Harry and company for doing something so unbelievably stupid and at her Uncle for almost getting himself killed.

"Harry, love?" Kat sighed. "For being the Chosen One you surely do have one hell of a death wish."


	11. Family Ties

Disclaimer: Still not for me to own.

 **Chapter 11 – Family Ties**

Katerina used to love summertime. She had happy memories of her parents taking her out on picnics, on lovely vacations to the beach, or helping her learn something new. She remembered warm days running down the steep hill to the Burrow and getting into trouble with Fred and George. She remembered helping her mother in the garden and her father teaching her Quidditch, well trying to teach her Quidditch. This summer though, nothing was like before. By doing his stupid stunt of trying to 'save Sirius' Harry had officially brought attention to the return of Voldemort. He had also unwittingly brought about the acquittal of Sirius Black after the death of ministry worker by Peter Pettigrew in front of multiple witnesses. Everyone believed Harry now. Kat was happy for Harry and her Uncle. Her Uncle could finally leave his house without being thrown back into Azkaban and Harry did not have to return to the Dursleys. But the revelation of Voldemort's return had put a damper on everything as Voldemort no longer found it necessary to be quiet about what he wanted and how he wanted it. More and more witches and wizards were vanishing without a trace with their bodies eventually showing up days or weeks later badly mutilated. Sometimes no body was found at all – Kat was horrified at her first official Order meeting to find out that these were either prisoners or dinner for Voldemort's massive snake.

Even though she was graduated from Hogwarts and had technically been an of age wizard for a year now her grandparents were allowing her only four places to go by herself: Hogwarts, Grimwald Place, the Burrow, and the shop where she had taken up her role as researcher. That was one thing that was doing amazing. The boys' shop was booming with business, everyone wanting to buy a small bit of happiness during this dark time. She was annoyed though with how much both her grandmother and Mrs. Weasley were on her back about getting a career "more suited to her talents". Even Hermione and Severus were disappointed with her choice to work for the joke shop as she had received straight O's on her NEWTS. She had even been offered multiple Mastery apprenticeships from the professors at Hogwarts but she had declined them saying she wanted to take a short break from studying. Eventually she would like a Mastery or two but right now she was just drained from the previous year and finally becoming involved in the war effort.

She had told Fred that she was allowing her grandparents to be stricter with her freedom for just a bit because of everything that had happened the previous year. Gram was extremely nervous with how much Voldemort was attacking families and she was worried that Kat would be an obvious choice to go after coming in second to the members of the Golden Trio. She knew that both Fred and George wanted Kat to move into their flat above the shop but she had bluntly told Fred that she would only move in if he was certain he was ready to be Bonded because she knew they wouldn't be able to live together for long before she had him in bed. Fred had spit out his drink while George had burst out laughing.

Kat was currently in the drawing room of Grimwald Place waiting for Fred and George to come pick her up and escort to her the castle ( _like I honestly need someone to_ escort _me anywhere. I'm not bloody helpless. I'm only agreeing to this because Fred is planning on staying at the castle for the night_ ). She was humming a sadder muggle song while staring at the large family tapestry and the hole where her Uncle used to be. You could still see his name under the burn. Next to him was a picture of his twin sister, her grandmother, Aanka Black, and then their younger brother Regulus Black. Uncle Sirius was the only one still living. Kat and her mother had never been added.

"Trying to understand our crazy family again?" Kat turned to see Sirius coming into the room with Harry.

"You know, you never did tell me exactly how you're Kat's great-uncle." Harry said, staring at the tapestry next to Kat.

"Well you see it's a confusing story," Sirius said. When he noticed that both teenagers were looking expectedly at him he sighed and began. "Aanka, my twin sister and your grandmother," looking at Kat, "Was an Unspeakable as soon as we got out of school. She loved her job but an accident occurred right before you were due Harry during which a Time-Turner broke and instead of going back two months for a mission, she went back twenty years before we were even born. She waited until our Aanka went back in time before coming home and explaining what had happened to my mother. She brought home her completely grown daughter, your mother, to come meet her. Our wonderful mother threw her out of the house for being an unwed mother and for dishonoring the family so greatly. I always wondered why she never burned out her picture." Sirius looked at the picture of his sister smiling, "What was crazy was her daughter Julia, your mum, went to school with all of us. She was a Gryffindor that was two years older than us and was close friends with Lily."

"Wait, my mum went to school with her mum and was two years older than her?" Kat felt a headache coming on. "How did no one know?"

"Well Aanka was in Slytherin and didn't interact with me much in school because it would be dangerous for her when she went home. We weren't exactly close after I was disowned though I do know that she didn't support my parent's beliefs. And the Aanka that went to the past had the foresight to give herself a new last name until the one I knew went to the past as well. Trust me, time travel is ridiculously confusing. Anyway, when you were born Harry, Julia came to the welcome home party and brought a surprise, her mother. It was a shock of a lifetime when I found out that my Aanka hadn't died like we had thought and that Julia who I'd gone to school with was actually my niece." Sirius looked sad, "Three months later You-Know-Who found Aanka and killed her before I could get to really know her again."

"Uncle Siri, did my grandmother ever tell you who my other grandfather was?" Kat asked softly.

"No, that is something she took to her grave, I don't believe even your mother knew."

"How did she keep the time line straight? She could have ruined so much. Why would she allow my mother to go to Hogwarts when she knew that you'd be there too?" Kat could feel herself getting angry. Why was all of this such a secret?

"I don't know. We will probably never know. Why so many questions all of a sudden?" Sirius asked concerned. He was watching her hair flash red and orange.

"Just curious. Always wanted to know actually. Mum would always get sad and wouldn't talk about the whole mess." Kat knew that she should tell someone what had happened on her 18th birthday but she didn't want to worry anyone.

~~ _Flashback~~_

 _Fred had just dropped her off after taking her to the muggle cinemas (she was obsessed) and dinner. Kat had decided to walk around the castle grounds to clear her head from the intense snogfest her and Fred had enjoyed before he had had to leave. It was getting harder and harder not to give into their bodies and complete the Bond. They both knew though that completing the bond essentially meant that they were married in the wizarding world and that their magic would merge. She had made it to the Black Lake when a garter snake passed in front of her._

 _"Oh what a beautiful little thing you are," Kat said aloud to the snake, admiring its beautiful coloring._

 _"Thank you," The snake turned its head and looked at her._

 _"Did you…did you just talk to me?" Kat nearly fell to the ground in shock._

 _"I think you talked to me first human." The small snake looked frustrated – well as frustrated as a snake could look._

 _"I've never talked to a snake before…I didn't know I could."_

 _"And I've never talked to a human before. Now if you don't mind, I was on my way to take a nap." With a flick of its tail, the small reptile slithered toward a large tree._

 _Kat stood there with her mouth wide open, positive that she was going insane. How in the world had she developed the ability to talk to snakes? And why? Everyone knew that Parseltongue was a Dark ability. Kat turned and ran to her room, determined to never speak of it again._

 _~~End Flashback~~_

Kat looked again at the empty space next to her grandmother's name where the name of her grandfather should have been. Setting her jaw with determination, Kat turned and walked toward the door. She needed some answers and she was going to get them.

"Where are you going?" Uncle Sirius asked.

"Dumbledore Hill."

"What? You can't go there! No one's gone there since…"

"Since my parents' death. I know. I was there. I am eighteen years old I can go where ever the hell I please. Tell Fred and George that I will see them tomorrow at the store. Do. Not. Follow. ME." Opening the door she disapparated without another word.

Kat landed in the living room. Apparently the wards recognized her as owner, which made sense as she was over seventeen and both her parents were dead. She looked around the room and felt a pang of heartache as she saw the familiar furniture and the moving pictures on the wall. The book her mother had been reading that night was still on the end table. Taking a deep breath Kat left the room and went upstairs to her parents' private office. She figured if she was going to find out any information, this would be the best place to start.

The door opened without resistance, yet another sign that her parents truly were gone. Kat had never been allowed inside their office unless one of them was with her. All their wards had either evaporated upon their death or had transferred themselves over to Kat. Inside there were two large desks, facing each other. One was completely covered with parchments and books while the other was entirely spotless. Her father had always been the messy one; her mother was the one that had to have everything in a specific place. She had heard them fighting more than once over how her mum couldn't concentrate with his desk so unruly. Dad had told her that she was more than welcome to make one of the spare bedrooms into another office but she never would. Both knew that they would rather annoy each other than be apart. Behind each desk were more bookcases, though reading these titles she could tell that these were the books that they preferred to keep out of Kat's hands. One book got her attention: _Spells of Genealogy: Uncovering Your Ancestry_. She felt as if her magic was drawing her to the book so she grabbed it and sat down at her mother's desk.

Opening the book she was surprised to find a small parchment with her mothers' handwriting.

 _Oh my dearest Kit-Kat,_

 _I knew that you'd eventually question who your maternal grandfather was. I can only assume that you are now eighteen and have developed your ability to talk to snakes just like I did at your age. I never did figure out why it was eighteen that the ability comes but alas it does. I can also assume that since you are reading this and not talking to me about this that I am no longer with you. I am so sorry I cannot help you understand this. Your grandmother left me a vial of memories and now I leave them to you. Please understand that these are not happy memories and they are very violent. Again, I am so sorry. This book will only open farther with Parseltongue. Inside you will find a pensive, the vial, and a spelled parchment. Once you have viewed the memories destroy them, and then drop a small amount of blood onto the parchment. It will confirm your family tree back to your grandparents. I truly wish I was there to walk you through this. Remember that I love you._

 _Love always,_

 _Mum_

Kat sat there holding the parchment with shaking hands. Her mother had known who her other grandfather was. And it was something she had kept from everybody – Kat knew deep down that this would reveal something big. She wasn't entirely sure she was ready for this. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the book and whispered a small hiss. The book glowed green and a wisp of air blew at her face as half of the book fell open revealing a rectangular cavity that seemed much too large for the small book. Kat pulled out the tiny glass vial and set it on the desk, followed by the small crystal pensive and the roll of parchment. She poured the silvery memories of her grandmother into the pensive, closed her eyes and fell forward.

"Ah Regulus, you brought her to me," Kat opened her eyes and saw a man who sounded like Voldemort but did not look anything like him. This one was actually attractive and Kat could see how people could be lured to his side.

"Yes my lord," a young dark haired man who looked exactly like her Uncle Sirius stood next to the body of a beautiful white haired young woman. "My lord, if I may ask what do you want of my sister?"

"As you know, I will make myself immortal but I need to have certain securities if you will in place as well. I need an heir. One from a powerful, pureblooded family. One from a virgin. And this is how you will prove yourself to me." Voldemort said emotionlessly while moving slowly towards her grandmother's body.

"My lord? I'm not sure that my sister follows our beliefs. I mean to say, I'm not sure that she'll…" Regulus looked down at his sister unsure how to continue.

"Come to my bed willingly?" Voldemort laughed, "Oh I never said it had to be consensual."

"My Lord, what of Bellatrix? Surely she would be more suited to this task as a dedicated-" Regulus tried to argue, now looking at his sister with deep regret. Kat would have sworn he sounded fearful for Aanka now that he knew what Voldemort wanted.

"Be quiet." Voldemort hissed, "I have already explained to you that I need a virgin for this spell to work. I will be guaranteed that this child will come into this world unharmed." Kat started to shake again at the look that the evil man was giving her grandmother. " _Rennervate."_

Kat watched as her grandmother slowly opened her eyes and looked around. "Reg?" Then she saw Voldemort. Kat watched as her grandmother's hair turned a deep red with black tips. "What is the meaning of this? Why would you bring me to this monster?" She turned to her brother with a look of deep betrayal.

With a lazy jab of his wand, Voldemort muttered "Incarcerous." Ropes flew out of the tip of his wand and wrapped themselves around her grandmothers' legs and arms. Voldemort moved her body magically to a large stone altar in the middle of the room, the ropes lengthening enough to spread her legs and arms out to the sides and tie themselves down onto chains located on the floor. Her grandmother was screaming and thrashing against them, her beautiful curls now a midnight black, sparks starting to crackle outwards. "Silencio." Voldemort forced her grandmother to drink a potion and Kat watched in horror as her Aanka's hair went back to white and the sparking stopped. Did Voldemort have a potion that suppressed the same magic that Kat had? "I don't know why you are fighting it. You are being given the gift of a lifetime. No witch has ever been granted the privilege to carry my seed." Voldemort started walking towards the altar while slowly dropping his robes. Kat looked away, knowing what would happen next. The chanting began, then so did the grunting. It was bringing back horrible memories and Kat wished that she could pull herself out. Suddenly the room started to swirl and she was dropped into another memory.

She watched as her grandmother paced back and forth in a small room that she recognized as the room she shared with Hermione and Ginny at Grimwald Place. Aanka looked at a thick book on her desk and said a small spell, aiming at her stomach. A small yellow glow emitted from her belly. Kat heard her cry out as she performed the spell three more times, each time the yellow glow becoming brighter. "Oh gods, I can't be." Her hair flashed between sickly green and deep blue. Kat looked over her grandmothers' shoulder to see the spell – a pregnancy spell. This was when her grandmother found out about her mum.

Next thing Kat saw was a completely covered Aanka rushing into a dark room, grabbing a small box and racing back out. Kat looked around as they were leaving and was surprised to see that they were in the Ministry of Magic.

The memories were quickly jumping now. They were back at Grimwald Place, and Aanka had just set the box down on her desk. Hands shaking she opened it to reveal a Time Turner. "Two months, just two months. I can stop Reg. He won't take me and then this won't happen to me. Two months." It wasn't a work assignment that had trapped Aanka in the past, it was her trying to go back and stop her own rape by none other than Voldemort himself. Kat knew the anguish and torture that being raped caused a person but she also knew that if Aanka had been successful neither her nor her mother would have ever existed. Kat closed her eyes – this was just too much for her.

When she opened them again she was sitting back at her mothers' desk staring in disgust at the pensieve. No, this couldn't be real. If this was to be believed her grandmother was raped and impregnated by Voldemort. That meant that Voldemort was her grandfather. _Oh gods, I cannot be related to that – that thing!_ Kat held her head and gave out an anguished cry. She looked at the parchment – it would tell her the truth. It would say that he wasn't related to her. There was no way that monster was part of her genetic code. She grabbed her wand and slashed her hand, cutting a little too much in her haste to prove to herself that Voldemort was not her relative. She held her hand over the parchment and watched as it drew itself into a diagram.

The names on the left side of the family tree made complete sense to her – her grandfather, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore connected to her grandmother Minerva Isobel McGonagall through a marriage bond to their three sons, Percival, Wulfric, and the youngest, Alasdair. The space next to Percival and Alasdair was sadly blank, both men having been killed in the first war against Voldemort. Her father was connected to her mother and underneath them was Katerina herself. It was her maternal side of the family tree that she did not comprehend, or at least she didn't want to comprehend it. Above her mother, Julia Katherine Black, connecting her grandmother Aanka Julianna Black was a thin broken line, signifying a child that did not stem from a completed marriage bond that led to the name Tom Marvalo Riddle – the monster more commonly known as Voldemort.

Kat couldn't believe her eyes. She couldn't be related to him, she couldn't be. Grabbing onto the desk for strength, Kat forced herself to not throw up onto the parchment. She tossed everything back into the book and threw it as hard as she could across the room. Then she curled up on the floor of the office and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

"I've told you before Albus, there has always been a rumor that the Dark Lord had conceived a child with an unknown witch that disappeared weeks later. The Dark Lord is certain that the child survived and he is looking for them."

"How would he know that they survived?" Albus rubbed his eyes.

"There is talk of a magic ritual that was done during the conception that would, for lack of a better term, call to him at a certain time."

"And how old would this child be?"

"Either seventeen or eighteen I would guess, maybe a little younger. The child would be displaying new abilities." Severus answered as much as he could. The Dark Lord hadn't been very informative about the possible heir to his dark rule.

"Has he revealed who the mother is?"

"No. He has vague memories of a witch telling him she aborted the child and of him killing her in his anger. He mentioned of a _power surge_ before killing her that has twisted his memories of her identity even to him." Severus knew that Albus was thinking exactly what he was but he tried to push the thoughts out of his head trying to remain in denial.

"A power surge? It can't be…"

"I believe it may be possible Albus."

"What could Tom possibly want with this child?"

"Nothing good I'm sure."

Severus was disturbed by the Dark Lord's recent plans and he knew that Dumbledore was wondering the same thing as he was about a small rainbow colored witch with extremely strong power surges. He was about to ask when the Weasley twins, Harry Potter, and Sirius Black walked out of the fireplace all of them looking concerned.

"Did you all forget how to ask if it is an appropriate time for you to just barge into someone's private offices?" Snape snapped.

"Not now Bat," growled Sirius. "Albus, has Katerina returned home?"

"Wasn't it the job of these knuckleheads to escort her home? Or is one small witch too much for you?" Severus sneered.

"Yes, because obviously Kat is a _normal_ witch," one of the twins snapped.

"Severus, that's enough. Let me check the wards." Albus closed his eyes and concentrated. Severus knew that if Dumbledore wanted to he could easily find the location and occupation of each living being on Hogwarts grounds. Thankfully Albus gave privacy to those that he looked after and as far as Severus knew, Albus did not abuse the power. Hell, look at all the unknown things that had happened in Hogwarts. Severus did not want to think about what it meant if Albus had known all that was occurring in the halls of the school. "No, she is not within the castle. What has happened?"

"She said she was going to Dumbledore Hill." Fred whispered. "I can feel her sadness but something is keeping me from apparating to her."

"I will try." Dumbledore stood and turned on the spot. Nothing happened. The old man was genuinely disturbed. "Now that is strange, the wards are not allowing me in." He walked to the fireplace, tossed in some floo powder, and stuck his head calling for Dumbledore Hill. "Katerina? Kat if you're there please answer me."

A despondent voiced answered. "I'm here."

"Kat dear, are you ok?" There was no answer other than a small sobbing sound. Severus looked up and saw alarm on the others' faces. "Kat will you open the floo so we can come through?"

"Go ahead."

The group of six stood up and walked through to what appeared to be a home office at Dumbledore Hill. Severus looked around, picking up a book that had been obviously thrown at the wall seeing as the spine was slightly dented. He sat it at the desk and looked at the floor where the young woman was still sitting her arms wrapped around her knees. She allowed Fred to sit next to her and Severus felt a small pang of jealously as he watched Kat lean into Fred's shoulder for support.

"Are you ok?" Fred asked. Kat didn't answer instead she shook her head sadly. "What happened? Did someone hurt you?"

"No."

"Unless you expect us to play a game of questions and one word answers until we are old and grey I suggest that you expand your vocabulary." Severus snapped impatiently.

"Leave her alone!" Sirius whipped out his wand.

"ENOUGH. Kat, what is going on?" Dumbledore said sternly.

"I…I wanted to know who my other grandfather was…I found out. Mum already knew." Kat said, her voice sounding strange and distant.

"Why in the world would that information cause you to mentally collapse?" Snape knew that Katerina was not one to breakdown over something trivial such as the sperm donor of her mother. His mind was already racing as he realized his fear was probably true. Was it possible that the Dark Lord was looking for his grandchild instead of child? If this was indeed true then how would they keep Katerina safe from the Dark Lord?

"The book, the one you picked up, may I have it?" Severus handed her the book. She took a deep breath and then a strange hissing sound came out of her mouth and the book fell open in her hands. She heard gasps of surprise around the room.

"Parseltongue…" Potter whispered looking fearful for Kat.

"Kat how do you know how to speak parseltongue?" Albus asked his emotions tucked behind a strong shield of Occlumency.

"I got it as a genetic gift for my eighteenth birthday. I'm not the only one. Mum knew how to speak it too. She just never told anyone." Kat walked over to the desk and set the book down. Severus could see that the book had been turned into a secret box. Inside was an extremely expensive pensieve, a parchment with what looked like blood stains on it, and an empty vial. "Mum's note said to destroy the memories after I saw them, so they wouldn't end up in the wrong hands." Her hands were shaking as she handed Dumbledore a small note. "They were from my grandmother, your sister Uncle Sirius, of the night she got pregnant and a few months after. Uncle Regulus snatched her because…because Vol-" Severus glared at her, "You-Know-Who wanted her."

"Wanted her?" Sirius asked.

"Mum was a child of…of…oh gods I can't be…" Katerina folded into herself, sobbing hysterically. Fred pulled her head to his chest rubbing slow gentle circles onto her back. Severus went back to the box and pulled out the parchment. He felt his blood run cold as he processed the words in front of him.

"Albus," Severus passed the parchment to Dumbledore. Dumbledore's eyes widened.

"Katerina, I must look into your mind, I need to see the exact memories. I'm sorry to have to make you witness this again."

"Please…" Kat whined pitifully, "Please don't make me. I don't want to see it. Please."

"Kat we must be beyond a doubt that this is correct. You are in grave danger."

"Wait? Why would she be in danger? Kat what did you learn? You aren't coming any closer unless you explain what is happening." Fred stood in front of her and shocked the room by pulling his wand out and aiming it at Albus.

"Um Fred…" George looked at his twin with large eyes.

"He isn't going to hurt Kat, Fred," Harry said staring at Fred with confusion.

"I need to see the memories that Katerina saw. If what this parchment says is true than we need to make sure she is protected from Tom." Dumbledore explained to Fred carefully not bothered by the wand pointed at him. He looked over Fred's shoulder to his grandchild. "Kat, I wouldn't ask it of you if it wasn't important."

Katerina moved past Fred, lowering his arm as she walked in front of her grandfather. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then locked eyes with Albus. He watched as her hair changed between black, blue, and red at a nauseating speed. When Albus released her, she had fresh tears falling down her face again. "Sweet Merlin, it's true." Kat cried out again and fell backwards, Fred jumping forward to catch her.

They moved down to the sitting room, Fred laying Kat down on the sofa with her head in his lap while Dumbledore proceeded to make tea. Albus passed Katerina her cup first and Severus was not surprised when Kat's eyes started to get heavy and she fell asleep on Fred's shoulder. After Albus assured everyone that he had only given the girl a light sleeping draught to calm her Severus looked at Albus. "What will we do?"

"We must keep her safe from him." Severus nodded.

"What are you two talking about? What has happened? Why does Voldemort want Kat?" Potter demanded.

Grabbing his arm where the Dark Mark was, Severus growled. "Stupid boy, don't say that name out loud."

"Tell us what is going on!" Potter yelled. Fred, George and Sirius agreed.

"Albus what did she mean about my sister?" Black questioned.

"Sirius, Aanka didn't get trapped in the past due to a failed mission." Albus looked at the Animagus. "She purposely went back in time to change history. According to her memories, she only meant to go back two months and ended up twenty years back. The time-turner must have broken."

"What would she want to change?"

"Julia was the result of a violent attack that was committed by none other than Tom himself." Albus said, looking over at the couch where Kat was still unconscious. "Katerina's other grandfather is Tom. And he's looking for her. Something has alerted Tom of her existence though thankfully he does not know her identity or even the identity of her grandmother or mother."

"WHAT?!" There were four simultaneous shouts.

"Albus, how do you plan to protect her? Seven people now know of her ancestry, only three of us know how to occlude our thoughts, and Boy Wonder there is physically connected to the Dark Lord." Severus said to the ancient wizard.

"Three…? Wait Kat knows Occlumency?" Severus smirked when he heard the envy in Potters' voice.

"Severus, you will take Katerina on as an apprentice, this will keep her under the safety of Hogwarts." Severus nodded. He had wanted her as his apprentice but it had been deemed questionable for Severus to willingly offer such a thing to the granddaughter of the Dark Lord's greatest enemy. "She is going to hate this but we will have to be even stricter in where she is allowed to go. As for you four, I am sorry but you will have to have your memories erased."

"What?!"

"Absolutely not!"

"I'm sorry but it is the only way to keep Kat safe, especially with Tom still connected to you Harry." Albus said in a voice that would not be ignored.

"Do it," Fred gently moved Kat's head off of him and onto a pillow and stood up in front of Dumbledore with a look of determination. "Do whatever you need to me to keep her safe. You three; let them do it or I will, and I'm not so sure of my ability to cast safe memory charms."

"You can't be serious," Harry started.

"Unless you want to be like Lockhart, you'll do it. I will do anything to protect her, even if that means making the Chosen One a babbling idiot." Fred looked at the others daring them to argue. George just nodded with a sour look at his twin.

Severus was annoyed with himself for actually feeling a sense of pride towards the young man. He may still joke and play tricks on everyone but Severus knew that Katerina would always be protected by the redheaded man standing in front of him. He watched as Sirius, Harry and George stood and grudgingly accepted the memory charm.

"Why are we at Kat's home?" George asked looking around.

"What the hell is going on Albus? Why am I missing about two hours of time here?" Black was angry and was staring at Severus with pure hatred and suspicion.

"Is Kat ok over there?" Potter was looking at the sleeping white-haired woman with confusion.

Fred looked at Severus, then Albus and then at the sleeping Katerina on the sofa. "She'll be safe? You promise you'll keep her safe?" Albus agreed and Severus nodded. "Do it then."


	12. Rings to Save Them All

**Disclaimer** : Still the same - it's not my world.

 **Little Note from the Writer** : In this chapter we are introduced to a new talent of Katerina's. Please notice that I am taking advantage of being a fiction writer and am promptly ignoring such silly things as release dates. Yes I know the songs do not link up with the time of Harry Potter - no I'm not changing it. I really hope this doesn't annoy anyone too much. Thanks again for reading!

* * *

 **Chapter 12 – Rings to Save them All**

Months had passed since her discovery of her maternal grandfather and Kat was bored out of her ever loving mind. She had been banned from leaving Hogwarts unless she was with her grandfather, grandmother or Severus. Gram hadn't been told why the new rule was placed into play but she trusted her husband. Only Severus and her grandfather knew of her connection to Voldemort and it had been extremely hard to tell Fred that she was going to be quitting work at the shop without telling him the true reasons. She had managed to convince them that a Potions Mastery would be really helpful in her creation of new potions and contraptions for the store and both boys supported her in continuing her education. Fred and George both knew that Kat wanted a Potions Mastery and that she had been extremely disappointed when Severus hadn't offered her an apprenticeship. They weren't entirely sure of why the grouchy man had changed his stance on the matter but they would never tell Kat not to take the chance. Kat had never felt so guilty for lying before and it took putting up occlumency shields to keep her hair from reacting and giving her away. Kat had been thrilled when she realized that she could keep others from knowing her emotions by using her shields but both her grandfather and Severus had told her that this was extremely dangerous to do.

One good thing had occurred though. The months being kept from leaving the castle was bringing her closer to the irritable potions master and Katerina had been shocked when they had begun to move towards more of a co-worker and friend relationship rather than a teacher-student relationship. She could clearly remember one night they were working late together and they had started to talk about personal likes and dislikes. She had been pleasantly surprised to find out that Severus' favorite book wasn't an intellectual one nor was it a magical tome – it was Peter Pan.

"You forget Miss Dumbledore, my father was a nasty type of muggle who hated all things magical and he forced my mother to raise me as such. The only thing she managed to talk him into was sending me to Hogwarts and that was because I would be spending nine months of the year out of his house." Severus had explained with a blank face. "I always found the idea of escaping reality and flying far away to a land of make believe and mischief delightful. My mother read that book to me every night for years." After he had finished speaking he quickly returned back into the sulking distasteful man and proceeded to ignore her for almost a week. She had learned that whenever she discovered a deeper secret of Severus' he would recede back away from her and try to put his walls back up – however she also noticed that each time the walls would be lower than they had been before.

She was currently in the private labs working yet again on researching blood magic much to the dismay of her Master (Severus hated when she referred to him by his appropriate title in their relationship. She assumed it was because Voldemort liked to think of himself as his followers Master). She had finally made a leap in the potion for the protection rings and was finally able to put the hair wrapped rings into the cauldron without the cauldron exploding on her. However she hadn't been lucky with getting the rings to completely protect the wearer. Currently they were only very pretty jewelry that took weeks to make. She was trying to figure out what was messing up in her potion to make the runes not activate. She was certain that it had been the addition of the lotus blossom but that had been the only thing that had kept the damn thing from exploding.

She was also worried about the potency of the rings. She could not find a charm or rune that would protect against all the Unforgivables which was another pain in the ass because the followers of the Dark Ass would not hesitate from using the killing curse. Pushing yet another book away from her, she sighed and banged her head against the table. She heard a deep chuckle from the doorway.

"It's not funny." She growled.

"Oh trust me, it is enjoyable." Severus smirked as he walked farther into the room.

"It's not. Tonight is the full moon and if I can't get this damn potion to work by tonight, I've wasted yet another bloody month." Kat glared at the cauldron as if it was personally the reason her experiment was failing.

"Language Miss Dumbledore."

"Sorry. The lotus blossom keeps the potion stable but completely destroys the hair and keeps the runes from activating when the charm is used. I have another idea but I probably shouldn't do it." She looked down at her notes, ashamed that she had even had the idea. She looked up when Severus hadn't answered her and saw that he was looking at her with an annoyingly unreadable expression. "If I used the person's blood in the potion instead of the hair I think that I can get rid of the lotus blossom but that is going even deeper into blood magic. I don't want people to think I'm like him."

"You are nothing like him." Severus snapped at her.

"What if it's genetic? I have to admit I'm very curious about all of this and how it works." Kat looked up with tears threatening in her eyes. "Does that make me a bad person?"

"No. You are nothing like your grandfather, nothing at all. Well at least not like the snake-obsessed one. You are doing these things to protect your loved ones and to help the light win. And as much as I don't want you to do this, I've come to the same conclusion."

"Sir, I want him dead. I want someone who without him I wouldn't be here to die a painful, agonizing death and that terrifies me." Kat looked shamefully at her hands.

Severus shocked her when he gently used one finger to bring her head back up and nodded at her. "It is that fear of what you want that keeps you from being him. Now let's try again." Releasing her chin he looked down at her notes. "Do you have the base ready without the lotus blossom added?"

"Yes, but I'll need to do the calculations to figure out how much blood is needed to be added." With that Kat threw herself back into her work, not realizing that Severus had left again and that hours were passing her. Two hours after her talk with Severus and double checking and triple checking her math and charmswork Kat was finally ready to add the blood. Holding her hand over a crystal bowl she used her wand to sterilize the area of her palm before using a light cutting spell to open her hand. She let out a gasp as a sharp pain took her and she carefully allowed the blood to flow into the bowl. Once she was sure she had collected enough she quickly used her wand to heal her hand and moved over to her cauldron. She measured out exactly two small vials of blood and poured them into the waiting blue potion, stirring clockwise for precisely five minutes the color turning a shiny lavender color. She cleaned her mess up while the potion was sitting for its thirty minute resting period.

She looked up when she noticed that Severus had returned to the lab, his classes done for the day. "It looks like the correct color." He observed. "Will the ring be ready by midnight?"

"Yes. I'm actually about to put it in. Hopefully the damn thing doesn't blow up in my face again without the blossom." Kat moved over to small box that held the numerous silver rings. She had gone to a jeweler with old silver plates from her parents' house and had asked if they could melt the metal into automatically sizing rings. She had then spent over two months slowly and deliberately carving runes into the rings, imbuing each rune with a flash of her own magic. Picking up one she moved back to the cauldron and ladled some of the potion into a small dish next to it. She had learned the hard way that it was a smaller explosion if she only used a small amount of potion instead of putting the ring straight into the cauldron itself. Using very long tongs she carefully placed the ring into the dish and quickly jumped back, noticing that Severus was also keeping his distance.

She felt a stab of disappointment when she saw that the dish was starting to bubble. Just as she was about to sigh and admit defeat the potion stopped and the ring began glowing. Eyes wide she stepped closer. The runes were reacting to the potion and there was no violent explosion. "It worked." Her voice sounded so strange to herself. "Well at least this part did. Alright so when the moon rises we will put it in direct moonlight. At midnight I will cast the charms over it and then it remains in the potion until sunrise tomorrow. It will then have to sit for twenty four hours in the rosehip water. I hope this works though I forgot to mention that I couldn't find a rune or anything that will work against the killing curses but hey something is better than nothing right?"

"Miss Dumbledore."

"Yes?"

"Please stop talking."

* * *

It had been almost a week before Severus finally had time to help her test the ring. He had been pissed as hell when he realized that he had inadvertently allowed her to use her own blood and he was going to have to hex and curse her. The ring had worked well but still needed some readjustments. Kat had also thought to add a backup plan if the wearer was close to death to hopefully help lessen the causalities of the war. It was now three days after the next full moon and they were ready to test it out again.

"It's working!" Kat cried out in happiness as yet another hex bounced off her chest leaving her unharmed. "It's working!" Even Severus was smiling with pride. Kat absolutely loved when she managed to get the dour man to smile. What she didn't know was that if it had been safe for him to present this to the Board of Potioneers he would have and she would most definitely have been granted her Mastery over this alone, hell he even thought she'd be able to receive her Charms Mastery over this. However it was not something they could currently trust to people outside the Order.

"Sir, we need to try _them_." Kat looked at him hesitantly.

"Absolutely not."

"The Order is going to ask if we've tried them. We don't have to try the Killing Curse because I am quite positive that it won't help with that one but we need to try the others." Kat reasoned with him.

"I will not do that to you."

"Dammit sir, just do it. Don't make me piss you off enough to do." Severus only raised his eyebrow at her. Cursing herself internally and hoping that it did not ruin their friendship she sneered at him. " _Coward."_

Rage flashed into his wide eyes and his wand immediately jerked up at her. She watched as Severus took a deep breath and growled his displeasure. "Imperio." Kat felt as something was trying to force her to dance. She laughed out loud, shocking her Master, as she realized that he was trying to make her do a ridiculous jig. She felt as he pushed harder and she felt as her legs were trying to move, her knees starting to shake, but she shook her head and forced him out. "Amazing." His whisper was so faint she almost didn't hear it. "Crucio." The pain was strong and she gasped out as her body violently staggered forward but amazingly she was able to keep her feet under her. Her eyes pinched with pain and her stomach cramped and she had to force herself not to vomit but she was conscious and on her feet. She raised her wand with a shaking hand and shot a hex at Severus, forcing him to end the curse. She fell to her knees and gulped the fresh air, commanding her body not to expel her lunch.

"Oh Merlin, that's unpleasant."

"Kat, it worked." He looked at her in awe, not realizing what he had called her. "You still managed to hex me. You did it!"

Kat had the sudden urge to hug him but thought he might kill her if she did. She fixed her sweaty robes and smiled up at him. "Let's go get change and join my grandparents to leave for the meeting. We have some exciting news for tonight!"

When Kat walked into Grimwald Place she smiled at all the people that she had come to care about. Fred, George and Lee were laughing at a story that Sirius was telling them. Mrs. and Mr. Weasley were in a lively conversation with Tonks. Remus, Kingsley and Moody were all discussing the latest attacks. Bill and Charlie were just sitting back watching the room waving when they saw Kat. She walked over to the empty seat next to Fred who promptly kissed her soundly while a grumpy Sirius tried to pull him off of her to the amusement of the others.

"Alright everyone, let's get started." She smiled at her grandfather and the way that he easily moved from happy twinkling caregiver to general of a war. "Tonight Katerina and Severus have a surprise for us." Kat felt Fred looking at her with curiosity. Her grandfather nodded to her to stand.

"So last year I was able to create a wearable object, in that case knitted socks, that I was able to knit protective runes into and then placed them in a potion that I created to activate the runes. They were pretty successful but not to the point that would make them practical in a battle. I started to research more on whether or not I could make something that would actually protect during a real live war. It's taken many, many months and a lot of failures but today we had success." She held up the small ring and showed the group.

"What does it do?" Remus asked.

"Well I've managed to engrave many different runes into the ring and while doing so I forced my own magic into each separate rune. I then had to imbue the ring with my own magical signature and then…erm," She saw that the whole table had glanced up at her hair and she felt frustrated when she looked down and saw the damnable green. "Damn hair." She heard the Weasley sons all chuckle.

"What aren't you saying Katerina?" Sirius asked suspiciously.

"In order for the potion to not blow up my cauldron but still remain active I couldn't use hair this time…er I had to use blood." Kat said quietly looking up at the ceiling.

"You used blood magic?" Mrs. Weasley was disturbed and from their faces, she wasn't the only one.

"It's not all bad, I promise, I didn't use anything Dark just a little of my blood and I only did it to protect you all and I really –" Kat started rambling twisting her hands together.

"Please stop babbling Miss Dumbledore, you're giving me a headache." Severus growled.

"Severus." Her grandfather warned. "Katerina, please continue."

"Right, sorry. Once the ring was added to the potion and a charm was said over it at midnight –" she noticed that many eyes were starting to glaze over. "Er sorry anyway the outcome is that this ring will keep most hexes and curses from touching you. They won't last against constant stream of hexes and curses but a decent amount of them. I also added a backup plan of sorts to it. If it senses that you are near death then it puts your body under complete stasis so that people can have a chance to get to you." Kat was amazed at the reaction everyone was having, most wanting to see it in action.

"Miss Dumbledore, I do believe you forgot the most important part of these," Severus drawled, all eyes going to him. "They withstand Unforgivables."

"What?"

"Seriously?"

"That's amazing!"

"They don't against the Killing Curse. At least I'm pretty sure it won't – we weren't willing to actually test that out." Kat called out quickly. "I've tried countless designs and runes but nothing will shield against that. I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be so modest and for once in your life enjoy being a damnable celebrity loving Gryffindor," people were looking at Severus with stunned expressions. "Albus, with this ring she has designed, she was able to throw off an Imperious and a Cruciatus curse."

"YOU USED UNFORGIVABLES ON HER?" She felt as Fred jumped out, his wand pointing at the unblinking potions master.

"Fred love, sit down." Kat said, pulling his arm down to her. She forced him to look at her before continuing. "I asked him to. Practically forced his wand really." Severus snorted. "We had to see if the rings could work against Unforgivables because everyone here knows that _his_ side is not going to refrain from using them against us, especially when battle begins. If it makes you feel better I hexed him during the Cruciatus."

"You were able to hex him?" Moody looked like he did not believe her.

"She did, she was even still standing when it happened." Yet again people were unnerved by the obvious pride that Severus was displaying towards Kat.

"I would like to see this before I agree to make more of them." Her grandfather said, the twinkle in his blue eyes showing his delight with Kat.

"Would you be willing to give them a show, Miss Dumbledore?" Severus asked with a mock bow.

"Yes sir." Kat stood, putting the ring onto her finger.

"Wait, can't someone else do it?" Fred looked worried.

Kat gently cupped his cheek. "Sorry love, but I've only made the ring using my own blood and it will only work for me."

"You hurt her deliberately and I will kill you." Fred glared at the stern man.

"Fred!" Mrs. Weasley yelled at him though his brothers were nodding in agreement.

"Don't worry Mr. Weasley, the ring works quite well, she will be unharmed." Severus turned and walked towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Sirius demanded.

"To the living room dog, there isn't enough room in the kitchen for a duel."

Everyone had followed Severus up into the larger living room. Kat stood opposite him her wand in her hand but dropped to her side. She had explained that she would not be returning hexes or curses nor would she be shielding herself so that they could see exactly how the ring would work. Fred looked pissed as he stood next to George and Lee, all three looking for any sign to throw a curse at the bat. Kat nodded at Severus for him to begin. He started off with simple hexes and curses and worked his way up to the stronger ones. There were gasps of amazement when the first few curses bounced right off of Katerina, causing her no sign of distress or pain. George had to hold Fred back when Severus had hit her with an Entrails Gutting curse and Kat had doubled over. However even Moody looked surprised when she held up her shirt to reveal just a long angry pink line that was already beginning to fade. Finally it came to the Unforgivables.

Severus looked at her and she nodded. "Imperio!" Yet again Kat could feel the need to do another dumb dance. Why did he want her to act like an imbecile in front of all these people? She shook her head and pushed him out. "Imperio!" Severus yelled putting more magic into the curse. The need to dance was getting stronger and she had to close her eyes to keep from doing it. Balling her hand into a fist, she shook her head harder and yelled out.

"NO! Stop trying to make me bloody dance!" She breathed deeply when she finally felt his magic slip off of her. She could see the looks of astonishment on the members and the fierce pride that was on the face of Fred. She grinned back at Severus and nodded again.

"Crucio!" Kat staggered forward, gripping her stomach but to everyone's amazement she remained standing. Her breathing was labored and muscles ached but she managed to not fall. "Crucio!" She felt the increase in power and fell to her knees but she still kept from crying out. Taking a deep breath, she pushed past the pain and stood back up, her head held high. She raised her wand at Severus and screamed. "Expelliarmus!" Gasps were heard as Severus' wand went zooming towards her outstretched hand. Kat fell back to her knees completely exhausted. She felt arms come around her and was not surprised to see the handsome face of Fred next to her.

"You are bloody amazing you know that?"

"So how do we go about making these for the Order?" Sirius asked, still looking on with amazement. By the end of the night she had collected blood from everyone present and she made a mental note to get blood from those in the DA at school. She was going to have a very busy month coming up.

* * *

When she finally got to meet up with Harry and the others it had taken a while for her to convince them to give her their blood. When she had explained what had happened and how she did it Hermione looked extremely apprehensive. After she had finally convinced them she turned towards another person who she thought should have protection as well. Draco Malfoy, while still an arse, seemed extremely sickly lately and she for some reason was worried for him. Harry and Ron had vehemently stated that the ferret (their words) was up to something and they didn't trust him. She believed that she cared because Severus talked so highly of him, something he rarely did, and she trusted Severus. So she started inviting him to the labs to work on extra potions for the medical wing. He seemed to enjoy being around the potions and slowly over time he started to talk to her though he had threatened her to keep it to herself.

"You know my grandfather can help you." They had been working on a batch of calming draught for Poppy and he had yet to even say hello. Deep bags under his eyes made the normally prim and proper pureblood look sickly and his baggy clothing showed that he wasn't eating well.

"What?" He seemed startled by the sudden declaration. "Why would I want his help?"

"You aren't your father. I can tell you are doing something that makes you unhappy and I can tell that you don't want to be involved. My grandfather can help you." Kat put a gentle hand on his arm.

"You know nothing." Draco wrenched his arm away from her and turned away.

Kat sighed at how stubborn the pureblood was being. "Malfoy, everyone can see that you aren't well this year."

"So what?"

"When you are finally ready to admit that you want nothing to do with that monster talk to my grandfather, he will help you, I promise." With that Draco had stormed from the lab slamming the door as he went.

"He doesn't want to be his father but sees no way out except accept his fate or die." She jumped when she heard his voice behind her coming from their private quarters. She stared at the door Malfoy had just exited with sadness. "He has been instructed to kill your grandfather by the end of the year or he and his mother will be killed. He was promised it would not be a pleasant death."

"WHAT?" Kat whipped around to gap at him.

"It is a punishment to his father for what occurred last summer at the Ministry. Albus already knows and he won't allow it to happen, I promise, but we will have to make the Dark Lord believe that it has." Severus explained.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because Albus, for whatever reason, has instructed me to tell you. By the year's end, the world will think that your grandfather is dead. Only you, Albus, and I will know otherwise." Severus pinched his nose and appeared as if he didn't agree with this plan.

"But Gram…"

"Cannot know."

"How will this happen?" Kat whispered.

Severus closed his eyes and pinched his nose even harder as if to quell a headache. "I am to take the fall for his death. I am to make it suspicious enough that the light will accuse me but not enough that they can actually arrest me for it or take action. Your grandfather is hoping that this will secure my place as the Dark Lord's right hand man and will allow Draco not to be killed. I will be gifting Draco a ring this Christmas. He will not know what the ring does so do not glare at me like that. It was your idea to keep him safe."

"But if no one is supposed to know, I'm still confused as to why trust me?" Kat didn't understand how she would make a difference in this whole plot.

"Because if I am to die, he will need another person that will know which potion to give him to awaken him, and the old fool wants me to have someone that still trusts in me. He believes that it will be helpful to me to continue." Kat wanted to laugh at how insane this all was but she knew that he was telling her the truth.

Kat reached out and for the first time in their friendship, Kat hugged him. "I'm so sorry."

* * *

After the success of the rings and overhearing Katerina trying to convince Draco to confide in Albus to help him get away from the Dark Lord, Severus was having a hard time remaining the aloof and disappointed Potion Master that was his persona. He was extremely proud of the young witch and everything that she was managing to produce. He enjoyed the nights that he came back to their private labs to see her dancing and singing as she stood over a heated cauldron. Her happiness was infectious and he soon realized that for the first time in years he finally had a true friend. He constantly found himself becoming jealous of the young Weasley that had managed to capture her heart. As she bounced towards the storage room he thought back to the first time he had heard her singing.

 _~Flashback~_

 _Severus was storming through the castle, his head aching from a particularly stressful class with Potter and company. When was the damn boy going to start controlling his bloody temper? Severus was convinced that the rash boy was going to die despite their best attempts to keep the idiot alive. He was planning on going straight to his private quarters and drinking himself to sleep but as he started to pass the labs he shared with Katerina a pure and delicate voice stopped him. The lovely sound was coming from the lab. He quietly pushed the door opened and was stunned to see that the enchanting melody was coming from his young apprentice. Gently swaying to the music Katerina was busy working over a lit cauldron completely absorbed in her song not noticing that she was no longer alone. Severus had heard from others that Katerina was a talented singer but he had never had the pleasure to hear it for himself. He was amazed when he noticed that his headache was slowly disappearing while listening to the tune floating through the air._

 _Well, your faith was strong but you needed proof_

 _You saw her bathing on the roof  
Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you_

 _And she tied you to her kitchen chair_

 _She broke your throne_

 _She cut your hair and_

 _From your lips she drew the hallelujah_

 _Hallelujah, hallelujah_

 _Hallelujah, hallelujah_

 _Severus didn't recognize the song but he was entranced by the way Katerina lifted her voice. The sound that was coming out of her mouth was as smooth as honey and created a peace in his soul that he didn't know was possible._

 _Well baby I have been here before_

 _I've seen this room, I've walked this floor_

 _You know I used to live alone before I knew you_

 _And I've seen your flag on the marble arch_

 _Love is not a victory march_

 _It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah_

 _He felt his heart swell as she reached the high notes perfectly her eyes closed as she rocked to the rhythm. He tried to push the desire to walk over to her and take her into his arms as he knew that she was not for him and he was much too old for her. He turned to leave and was so caught up in listening to her that he stumped his foot into the door._

 _"Oh!" He saw her blush and her hair turn the adorable pink that he had come to love. "Sorry sir, I didn't know you'd be here."_

 _"You have an amazing voice, you know that?" Severus said in a rough voice before he could stop himself._

 _"Oh, thank you Sev-er-sir." He smirked as Kat turned even brighter pink. "I didn't know if you'd be ok with me singing in the lab…"_

 _"It is acceptable. And I think that you are old enough to call me Severus." His smirk grew as her hair flashed white then yellow._

 _"And you can call me Kat."_

~ _End Flashback~_

* * *

 _*_ Song is Hallelujah and while there are many, many versions of this song the one that I play when I think of this chapter is sung by the talented Kate Voegele.


	13. A Shedu Arrives

Disclaimer: You know the drill - I don't own any of this.

 **Chapter 13 – A Shedu Arrives**

Yet again a very sad Hermione was found by Kat in the library. Apparently both Harry and Ron were ignoring her…again. Kat walked over to the table and sat down next to the bushy-haired witch who had not noticed her visitor yet. "Why do you let them get to you?" She hid a giggle when Hermione jumped high in her chair.

"Oh hi Kat, sorry didn't see you there." Hermione blushed and started to move her books to the side.

"What's wrong? And don't tell me nothing, I've known you for six years now and honestly you are a horrible liar."

"Alright," Hermione let out a long sigh and looked up at Kat, who was shocked to see tears running down her face. "Harry is upset at me because I still don't trust that book but they shouldn't blame me, you should see some of the spells in that thing, they are obviously dark spells and look at what happened to poor Ginny by that damn diary." Kat's eyes widened at the sound of Hermione cursing, she didn't think she had ever heard it before but stayed quiet so Hermione would start talking again. "And then there's Ron and Lavender. God, it's like they've forgotten that other people exist, it's disgusting. I walked into the common room yesterday to him with his hand up her damn shirt – in the common room! And she went on and on about what they did when we went up to sleep last night and commented that if only I would take care of myself maybe I wouldn't be so upset at others having fun."

"Well that slag should learn to keep her damn mouth shut." Kat stood up and with a flick of her wand all of Hermiones' books and parchment went into her sack. Kat picked it up and then grabbed Hermione's hand, dragging her out of the library.

"Where are we going?" Hermione tried to keep up with the fast witch.

"We are going to my rooms and I'm going to show you want an amazing, beautiful, sexy witch you are. And then we are going to discuss my latest project which I am sure you will be dying to be involved in. Maybe we can convince Ginny too!" She quickly produced a Patronus and sent it off to Ginny asking her to join them at the private labs. She was still dragging Hermione when they made it to the labs and Severus looked up at the duo with an eyebrow raised.

"Miss Dumbledore, is there any particular reason you are dragging Miss Granger around the castle?" It was an unspoken agreement that they would remain formal around others so Severus could remain behind his façade.

"We are having a makeover Master Snape and the beautiful Hermione here is my unwilling victim." Kat grinned when Severus grimaced and muttered to himself about girly hobbies. "Ginny, thank goodness you're here. Let's go into my rooms and have some fun."

"Er Kat, are you feeling ok?" The redhead asked her yellowed haired friend, flicking uneasily towards Severus.

"Yup!" With that Kat grabbed their hands and pulled them through the door into the common space she shared with Severus and through the tapestry that led her private rooms. "Alright Gin, you're in charge of make-up. I'm thinking more natural looking than smoky eye but something that brings those gorgeous chocolate orbs out. I'm going to readjust your robes a bit. Honestly Hermione you can be a bit more daring!" Waving her wand around the now terrified witch Kat proceeded to tighten up her blouse and vest, making it so that her figure showed better. Then she moved to the skirt and shortened it by three inches. "Much better, who knew you were hiding that beneath those baggy clothes." Kat teased. "Now I'm going to let you in on a small secret: my hair is naturally just like yours."

Hermione looked at her in disbelief. Katerina had, since the day that she had met her, perfectly coiled curls that wound down her back in an alluring manor. She had always seemed perfectly composed and Hermione had been greatly jealous of her beauty but Katerina had never been snotty or stuck up about it so she couldn't hate the girl.

"It's true, trust me. You just need better products to use and not that crap you used for the Ball. I'm talking about something I've made myself. I've always wanted to offer it to you but you always seemed to hate my creations."

"They were usually pranks."

"Well yeah, but I wouldn't prank you. I know better and want to live." Hermione and Ginny laughed. Ginny had just finished with Hermione's eyes and had stepped back to observe her handiwork. "Beautiful Gin. Alright so I know you don't like high maintenance stuff so this is a simple monthly potion that you work into your hair and then leave in for thirty minutes. Then simply wash it out and dry. I'll teach you the proper drying spell to use so it doesn't frizz and these bottles here are the shampoo and conditioner that you'll want to use. Remember our type of hair only needs shampoo about every three or four washes. Oh and your makeup, if you like it, can be charmed to apply itself in the same exact way that Gin just did manually. So by adding a full thirty minutes once a month and about a minute or two if you have me charm the brushes and you'll be amazed at how simple it is."

"You charm your makeup brushes?" Ginny looked excited.

"Yeah, I'm trying to convince the boys to add it to the shop under the Wonder Witch collection but it's like pulling teeth." Kat rolled her eyes.

"Don't they realize how much money they'll make?" Ginny could think of dozens of witches that would love to have charmed beauty products.

"No because they are boys, in their little world we girls wake up looking like this." Kat set a timer and then sat next to Ginny explaining how she charmed her make-up brushes to do what she wanted. "Now remember to do it in the order you are used to because you seriously don't want to have the eyeliner jab you when you are puckering for lipstick. Alright Hermione lets go wash this out and you can see what we've done to you." Dragging Hermione into her bathroom, she had the witch lean her head over the tub so that her makeup wasn't smudged. She gently toweled off the excess water and quickly showed Hermione the movement for the drying spell. Soft gentle chestnut curls cascaded down Hermione's back, almost reaching the top of her butt.

"Wow, Hermione you look amazing," Ginny said pulling Hermione over to the mirror.

Kat grinned as she watched Hermione stare open mouthed at her reflection. She took a curl and pulled on it. "You can even shake your head roughly and it won't frizz. Watch!" Hermione gave a yelp as Kat jumped on top of her and ran both of her hands through her hair, shaking and pulling it all sorts of directions. Hermione now looked absolutely crazy. "Now take your hands and gently run them through your hair from top to bottom." Hermione did as she was told and squealed with delight when the perfect curls returned.

"You are seriously amazing, you know that right?" Hermione turned and gave her a tight hug.

"I keep getting told that. Eventually I'm not going to fit through doors with such a big head." Kat laughed. "Now it's almost lunch time and we need to show you off, love."

"What about the project?"

"We'll discuss it after lunch. I want the boys of this school to get a look at the beauty that is Hermione Granger." Yet again Hermione was being pulled through doors and suddenly found themselves back in the private labs. Kat smirked when she saw Severus' eyes widen at the new Hermione. Walking towards the Great Hall Kat could hear the whispers and the see the looks of desire and envy in the eyes of those they passed by. A small smile started to form on Hermione's face as she stood taller and gained some desperately needed confidence. When they walked into the Great Hall the room went completely silent. The look on the faces of the Gryffindor boys was absolutely priceless and Ron looked like he was going to blow his load right at the table. Lavender seemed ready to spit fire and elbowed her boyfriend hard in the stomach.

"Wow, Hermione you look amazing," Harry said, then blushed as he looked at Ginny. "I mean…"

"I understand Harry, Hermione does look amazing." Ginny nodded to her new boyfriend letting him know that it was ok to look.

"What did you do to your hair?" Parvarti asked.

"It's a potion Kat created." Hermione said softly looking at her plate embarrassed.

"Should have known it was from a potion," Lavender sneered. "There is no way that her hair could ever look that amazing."

"Actually it is all her hair. My potion only takes out the frizz and excess volume to allow her natural curls to push through. I use it myself otherwise I'd have a bush of a head as well. And our lovely Hermione didn't need any of this anyway. She was _always_ a natural beauty we just used a little extra to emphasize what she got from genetics and not from a container like others." Kat glared at the annoying bint. "And unlike those that focus solely on good looks that will eventually fade, Hermione also has the knowledge and capability that will take her farther than any other witch here. And she'll still be beautiful as she conquers the world. Now if you'll excuse us, we have to eat and then be away. Very important project we're working on you see."

Ginny started laughing as Lavender stormed away from the table, calling out to Ron when he didn't follow her immediately. Hermione was still blushing but looked happy.

"What project are you working on? Don't tell me it's a prank, Hermione will never agree to that."

"Can't tell you that Harry; at least not yet. Haven't even told the girls yet." Kat grinned. "Though, it has been an awfully long time since any pranks have been committed in this school. Sometimes I wonder if I'm letting my lovely boys down."

"What are you thinking?" Ginny asked with a sly grin.

"I'm thinking that Lavender could have use of my makeup brushes, you know just to save her some time." Kat said wickedly, winking at Ginny. "Think you could swap them out for me?"

"Of course!"

"Kat, you really shouldn't do that, you're supposed to be an apprentice." Hermione tried to scold her but she was having a hard time keeping a grin off her face.

"Yes an apprentice _not_ a professor or a saint. You won't tell on me will you Hermione?" Kat asked sweetly while batting her eyelids at the stuttering brunette.

"You are just as bad as the twins," Harry said laughing.

"Speaking of being bad, Harry James Potter." Harry stopped laughed and looked scared. "How dare you be upset at Hermione for worrying about that damn potions book! You have no idea who wrote those notes or created those spells. She was doing the correct thing in worrying about you especially after what had happened with Ginny and the Chamber. Now stop treating your best friend like shite just because she was trying to keep you safe." Harry looked properly chastised. "Next time I hear you being an arse to her for caring, I will give you something much worse than charmed makeup brushes, understood?"

"Yes ma'am." The rest of the table laughed as Harry realized what he had called Kat.

"If you weren't a girl and weren't destined to be Soulbond to my annoying brother, I would totally kiss you right now." Ginny said with a giggle.

"Thanks Gin but I don't think Boy Wonder wants to share." Kat laughed. "Alright my beautiful ladies, we ready to go put our sexy brains to work?"

As they stood up to leave she heard Seamus quietly say, "I cannot believe that I'm jealous of a damn Weasley."

* * *

"So what do you two know about Animagus Transformations?" They were back in Kat's rooms and had settled down in front of her fireplace.

"Other than being extremely hard not too much," Ginny said.

Hermione on the other hand knew quite a bit. "An Animagus is person who elects to transform into an animal unlike werecreatures who are forced and metamorphagi who are born with the ability. It takes a lot of concentration and skill, a feat that not many witches or wizards can accomplish. The process takes a long time to learn if I remember correctly."

Kat nodded. "Yes it does. I've been researching it for a few months now when I have the time and I want to become one. I would like to become one with you two if you are interested."

"Yes!" Ginny cried at once.

"Of course I would love to try but so many things could go wrong and well, isn't it kind of illegal to do it this way?" Hermione was the sensible one as always.

"I know which is why I've been researching so much and I promise we will be registered as soon as we complete the _task_." Kat conspired with a wink. "There is a reason I want to work on this though, kind of like a present to my gram. She has always been complaining that it's frustrating that not only can she not talk to other Animagi while transformed; she also cannot talk to untransformed witches or wizards. I've come up with a spell that should work but I obviously don't know if it'll work."

"Why not ask your grandmother to try it?" Hermione still didn't look convinced.

"Oh come on, that would take away the adventure from it all!" Kat fell back onto the sofa exasperated.

Ginny started laughing, "Come on Hermione let's do it. It may come in handy someday down the line."

"But what use will an otter be?" Hermione huffed.

"How do you know you'll be an otter?" Ginny asked surprised.

"Most Animagus forms are usually the physical representation of their Patronus," Kat explained. "Except of course Soulbond couples whose Patronus usually represents the spirit animal of their mate most of the time. I still can't figure out what the hell my thing is. Do you know how frustrating it is not finding any mention of it?"

"Shedu."

"Bless you."

"No Ginny," Hermione laughed. "Fred's Patronus is called a Shedu. It's an extremely rare magical lion and the reason you aren't finding any information on them is because it was mostly destroyed by Grindelwald."

"How do you know this?" Kat asked eyes wide.

"Well Grindelwald destroyed one of the most ancient magical libraries when he was rising to power and Professor Binns was explaining how a lot of magical creatures registries were destroyed in the fire and he mentioned a rare Creatures book that people had thought lost to the fire. I completely forgot to mention it to you that I saw it in Grimwald Place last summer. There was just so much happening and I'm so sorry I forgot it."

"Hermione that's ok. Next time I visit Uncle Sirius I'll ask him if I can borrow it. So what do you think? I do believe that you would be the cutest damn otter in the entire world." Kat batted her eyes again.

Hermione rolled her brown eyes as she laughed again. "I swear you could convince a person to hand over their last shirt."

"Oh it's extremely easy to get a guy out of their shirt, especially a sexy redhead I know." Kat pretended to drool.

Ginny made a loud sound of disgust. "Oh Merlin, please don't tell me about what my brother looks like out of clothing."

Just as Kat started to go into detail about the happy trail Fred had going to his pants Hermione cut in drowning out her voice. "So what do we do to start?" Hermione was always so good at changing the subject.

"Yay!" Kat yelled in delight as Hermione agreed to try it out. "So the first month is the hardest. We have to keep a full mandrake leaf held to the top of our mouth for an entire month. We have to be careful not to chew or swallow it or we have to start completely over. During this month we must spend at least an hour or two every night saying an incantation while meditating about our transformation. We cannot proceed past this part until we actually get a solid image in our head about what the animal is. If it is not a solid image than we have to start the month over because it could be extremely dangerous to proceed and we could potentially get trapped in a half-formed transformation but I don't think any of us are that stupid." Kat smiled, knowing her hair was probably violet again. "It's the first of November, so I'm really hoping that we have this figured out by Christmas. Also, no one gets told what we are doing, and I mean no one."

"Agreed." Hermione nodded and Ginny grinned.

Kat jumped up and grabbed a small bag. Pulling out three leaves she looked at her friends and held them out. "Alright, let's do this!"

One month later all three girls were unbelievably snappy and hardly anyone wanted to talk to them. Kat had been thrown out of the private labs for a week when she had viciously snapped at Severus for breathing down her neck about a potion she was working on. Hermione was actually giving out detentions to anyone who simply annoyed her. And Ginny was hexing anyone who looked at her wrong – Harry was completely terrified of her by the end of the thirty days. On December 1st they all arrived in the RoR with aching heads and a desperate desire to destroy something.

"Oh thank Merlin we can finally get rid of these godforsaken leaves." Hermione moaned, spitting the now wilted leaf into the trash.

"Honestly none of the damn books mentioned that the leaves would start to affect your hormones." Kat whined.

"They were obviously all written by males then," Ginny added. "Maybe we should kill them."

"Alright, do you both have a clear image?" Kat asked.

"Yes, mine is a horse." Ginny smiled.

"And like I thought, mine is an otter."

"And mine is a Shedu." Kat grinned. She couldn't wait to be able to fly without a broom. "So we are ready to try the transformation. Remember focus very hard on incantation and on your animal. For the first few transformations we'll need to use our wands and the proper wand movements but over time we should be able to do them without needing them. However, it is still greatly advised not to transform without your wand especially if you are staying in the form for a long time. As this was my poorly thought out plan I will be the first to attempt the transformation. If something goes wrong please burn all my journals and throw out the box under my bed." Kat winked and stepped back clearing her mind. She held her wand out in front of her and quietly whispered, " _Amato Animo Animato Animagus."_ She focused on the beautiful Shedu that she could see clearly in her mind's eye. Suddenly she was on all fours and slightly off balance.

"Kat!"

"Wow, so beautiful."

Kat looked up at the two girls in front of her who were looking at her in awe. She turned toward the mirror the RoR had provided them and just stared. Where a very short slim young woman had stood was now a large white lioness with wide, strong wings that were rapidly changing colors. The happier Kat got the brighter yellow her wings became. She wondered if her wings would support her and she cautiously spread them out amazed by the distance from tip to tip. Slowly she started to flap them trying to get the hang of the motion. Flapping faster and faster she felt as her paws left the ground. She purred with delight.

"Transform back, we need to make sure that works as well." Hermione said grabbing her attention from the mirror.

Kat nudged Hermione with her large head and purred even louder walking back towards the empty center of the room. Concentrating on her human form Kat was amazed at how quickly she had gotten back from being a Shedu feeling quite proud until she looked down and realized that her clothing was missing. "Well, at least it worked and I'm only missing _clothes_ and not _limbs_. Damn I really liked those robes." Thankfully they were in the RoR which had anticipated them needing new clothes and she grabbed one of the extra robes. "Alright lovely ladies it's your turn!"

They spent the remainder of the night transforming back and forth until they were finally confident enough that they would not transform back in the nude. All three of them were glad that they hadn't involved any of their boys in this adventure. As they were leaving the room Hermione became prefect Hermione again and said, "As much fun as that was, we need to inform your grandmother as soon as possible so that we can be registered and not be sentenced to Azkaban for be illegal Animagi."

"Of course Hermione, I would never intentionally get you in trouble. Let's wait a few weeks so we can test the spell. I really want to make sure that we can all talk to each other before we show my grandmother. You know, give her a special gift so she is less likely to kill us." Kat grinned at them both.

* * *

Two weeks later the girls had asked her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and of course, Severus to meet them in the RoR. Hermione had decided against telling her parents as she wasn't sure that they would be able to handle her daughter being able to transform into an otter, they still had a hard time accepting she was a witch and that things like dragons and trolls were real. Ginny hadn't wanted to tell her parents either but as Hermione had said, they'd find out eventually anyway since they were in the Order, and it would be better for her if she was the one that told them. Severus was invited because technically she had gone behind his back as his apprentice to learn the skill and she felt extremely guilty as a result.

"What have you three done now?" Mrs. Weasley immediately asked when they walked into the room the young girls in the middle already waiting, Kat's hair a strange yellow and green combination.

"Something extraordinary like usual." Kat grinned while Ginny snorted and she saw her grandfather smile.

"Why do I have the feeling I'm going to want to punish you again?" Her gram asked.

"Probably because you'll want to when this is over." Gram exhaled sharply when Kat winked back.

"How on Earth did you survive two of them?" Severus asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Firewhiskey."

"Alright ladies, you have our undivided attention." Her grandfather took the reins like always.

"So Gram, er, Professor McGonagall," Kat started, "You are an Animagus, correct?"

"Oh no, what did you do?" Gram's lips drew into a thin line.

Kat ignored the question. "Well you're always complaining that while in your Animagus form you are unable to properly communicate with other Animagi or witches or wizards and that you've always found it extremely frustrating."

"Yes, but I don't see how this concerns you three."

"Getting there Gram, I promise." Kat grinned. "I decided that I wanted to give you a gift of a lifetime this Christmas and started playing around with some charms and spells." She heard Severus groan and her grandmother's face tightened with suspicion. "After lots of hard work I created a spell that you cast upon yourself that allows you to speak into the mind of other witches, wizards, and of course other Animagi. It took a bit of work to make it so that not everyone hears you and you can even make it so that only one person in a whole room of people can hear you as long as you focus enough."

"As interesting as that is, what's the catch?" Gram asked eyeing her hair.

"Why do you always suspect something?" Kat asked innocently.

"Because there is always something to suspect with you Katerina. Not to mention your hair is currently as green as a forest." The others all laughed at this.

Kat coughed. "Fine, this is where the line gets just a wee bit hazy. You see we needed an Animagus to try out the spell and make sure it worked and our obvious choice would be you or Uncle Sirius but it's a gift for you so that would ruin the surprise and well, honestly Uncle Sirius has a big mouth." She heard a laugh come from Severus.

"So how do you know the spell works?" Mr. Weasley asked innocently.

Her grandfather who had been watching the entire time with a happy smile gave a little shake of his head and laughed. "I believe that Katerina is informing us that we have three new Animagi to be registered, is that right my dear?"

"WHAT?"

"GINERVA MOLLY WEASLEY DO YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THAT IS?"

"Katerina Arianna Dumbledore you are in so much trouble!"

"Calm down everyone, let's give the girls the chance to show us what they've developed and learned."

"Thank you Grand-er-Headmaster. First we'll show you our transformations, and then we'll show you the spell." Stepping back she looked at the group of people in front of her and grinned. Then she looked at Hermione and Ginny and nodded. All three girls focused their magic and transformed. She knew they had been successful when she heard gasps and clapping coming from the untransformed wizards and witches in front of them. Kat in her Shedu form ran up to her grandmother and nudged her stomach. Against her will, Gram laughed and hugged her, causing Kat to purr loudly. She then turned to her grandfather who was smiling down at her with pride. She watched as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley fussed over Ginny, her beautiful red coat the same color as the Weasley hair and her gram went to pick up Hermione, her chestnut coat slick and ready for the water. She happily pranced over to Severus and nudged his leg almost causing him to fall over. He had a small smirk on his face and he reached down to pet her head.

"I better not find any hairballs around the lab." Severus laughed when he saw her wings turn bubblegum pink. "I can see what trait your Animagus form has kept." He laughed louder when he heard Kat growl.

"Absolutely amazing, you girls are absolutely amazing." Mrs. Weasley looked like she wanted to cry. "I can't decide if I want to ground you all or brag about how talented you are."

"Alright girls, let's test out this spell you've made." Her gram seemed more receptive now that she had gotten to see the animals.

Ginny, Hermione and Kat moved to the center of the room again and within seconds the girls were back in their regular human bodies. Kat walked forward and raised her wand over her head and twirled it in a complicated series of circles. " _Animagi disputatio_." Then she transformed again into her Shedu. She looked at her grandmother and projected her thoughts to her. _Hello gram, Happy Christmas!_

Gram gasped and tears came to her eyes. "You beautiful, smart, talented woman. I am so proud of you. Thank you."

She noticed that the rest were looking at her with confusion so she projected her thoughts to the rest of the room. _I thought that gram should hear me first, seeing as it was her gift and all._

"I can hear you in my head!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

 _Yes ma'am. That's the only way I could think that this would work unless you all wanted to learn how to speak Shedu, horse or otter._

She heard her grandfather laugh. Then her grandmother was in front of her again. "Please teach me Katerina."

 _Of course gram. I didn't go behind your back and break a ton of laws and rules to create a new spell for you for Christmas_ _and not teach you the spell. That would just be evil._

"Tomorrow morning you three are being escorted to the ministry to be registered legally though we may have to fudge the time line and the requirement for proper teaching." Her grandfather chuckled.

"You three are going to have to retire when Katerina and Fred's children arrive at Hogwarts," Mrs. Weasley said, laughing.

"Oh Merlin, I'm going to need a drink just thinking about the destruction that will occur." Severus grunted. "Honestly the fates hate us for Soulbonding them together."

 _Speaking of Fred, when can I go see him next? We haven't exactly told anyone about this._

"I love the fact that her wings act exactly like her hair does. Look at how green they are." Kat turned and growled at Ginny, knocking her over with her large head. Ginny however just continued laughing as Kat promptly laid her heavy cat form overtop of her and started to nuzzle her.

"I guess we can stop by the shop after stopping by the ministry, but only for a few minutes." Her grandfather was twinkling again.

Early the next morning Ginny, Hermione, and Kat found themselves waiting in the Animagus Registration Office sitting with her grandmother and Severus. Her grandfather did not like the idea of all three of them leaving the school at the same time and he thought that it would be better for a confirmed registered Animagus to be written down as their instructor and to file the paperwork. It was extremely boring and Kat was curious at why it was taking so bloody long.

"Seriously why do we have to wait this long?" Kat whined, "There is no one else in this damn office."

"Katerina watch your mouth."

"Sorry grandmother."

"She has a point though. They are taking an unnecessary amount of time to process three pieces of parchment." Kat grinned as Severus agreed with her. Just then the door opened again and finally Kat was called in to be examined and documented. She was extremely irritable when she finally came back out of the room her deep red hair sparking.

"What took so long?" Ginny asked.

Kat growled. "Well first one of the damn observers fainted when I transformed. Then there was a debate on what type of animal I was and if I was a mythological creature which started an argument on whether or not your Animagus form could be a mythological creature though right now it would be bloody awesome to be a gorgon." Severus snorted. "Then the first damn wizard fainted again when I stupidly used the mind-speak spell to inform them that I was a bloody Shedu and no, I was not a damn mythological creature. And of course I had to explain just exactly what _Affectus et capillus_ is which one of them backed away asking if it was freaking contagious. Completely incompetent idiots are working for our government." She stopped pacing and looked to see Hermione, Ginny and Gram all looking at her with shock while Severus was trying his hardest not to laugh in public. She growled again and collapsed into a seat.

"Being around you is never boring Miss Dumbledore," Severus said with restrained glee.

"They better not have that many damn questions about a horse and an otter."

"Language Katerina."

"Sorry Gram."

An hour later and they were finally done, Hermione, Kat and Ginny now proud owners of Animagus pins that they quickly attached to their cloaks. They walked down Diagon Alley to the Weasley joke shop and headed in. As it was Saturday there was quite a crowd in the very popular store and it took them a bit to finally locate one of the twins.

"George!" Ginny yelled, hugging her brother.

"Gin? What are you lot doing here? Professors, good day." George nodded at the professors who both looked uncomfortable in the store. "Is everything going ok?"

"Yes, Mr. Weasley everything is just fine. We had some business at the ministry to take care of and the girls convinced us that a pit stop to your establishment was necessary." Gram was so proper.

"Hang on a minute." George turned towards a pretty blonde. "Hey Verity, can you ask Lee to come out and watch the store with you? I've got some very important guests." Turning back to the group he waved them to follow. "Come and follow me, we can go in the back. That's where Fred is with Lee making some more products for the shelves."

"Go ahead girls, I think Severus and I will head over to the Leaky and grab a drink." Severus looked very pleased with this idea and was already making his way back to the door.

"Hey Hermione, what have you done to your hair? You look stunning." George commented while leading them towards the back of the store.

"Funny story about that," Ginny answered him. "You idiots sure are losing out on a lot of money." She proceeded to tell him about the potion, shampoo and conditioner that Kat had created and how she was actually being pestered by the girls at the school for her to start selling it. George grimaced when he realized that it was the same potion that he and Fred had been telling Kat that they weren't sure would be a good addition to the joke shop. Passing through a back store room they entered the workshop and Kat smiled when she saw Fred sitting at the counter humming over a parchment. Kat knew that Fred still hadn't noticed them walking into the room and shushed the others, winking at Ginny and Hermione and silently sending a silencing spell at the room and George who looked at her with shock and anger. His eyes widened as she transformed into the Shedu and then he grinned after seeing that she could still wiggle her eyebrows as she turned back to Fred. Spreading her wings, she took a deep breath and roared as loud as she could. Fred promptly threw what was in his hands into the air and fell back off the stool. She heard the two girls laughing hard and turned around to see George holding his stomach rolling with quiet laughter.

"What the fuck is that?" Fred was still trying to catch his breath, staring at the lioness with yellow wings with anger and fear. He flinched away from her as Kat tried to rub her head against him. Even though she knew that he didn't know who she was it still hurt for Fred to recoil from her. She made a sad whimper as she walked back to the others.

"You mean who is that." Ginny said still laughing.

"Her wings," Fred whispered as her Kat looked to her left and saw that her wings were turning a deep blue. "Katerina?" Kat looked at him and nodded. He looked at her with surprise and then held his arms out. Kat let out a happy yelp and raced to him, her wings changing quickly to a bright yellow as she pounced into his chest and knocked him backwards. She started to purr and lick his face as he began to laugh. "But how?"

"Your girlfriend may have convinced us to break a few laws-er-rules." Ginny said.

"Wait, both of you too?" George asked after Hermione had cancelled the silencing charm. Kat quickly transformed back and hugged Fred before looking at Hermione and Ginny and nodding. All three girls performed the Mind-Speak Spell and transformed again.

"Whoa."

"This is crazy."

George walked over to Ginny and gently pet her side as Hermione quickly ran up her flank to sit happily on Ginny's back. "Are you illegal?"

 _Well that's a rude question._ Ginny thought to them.

"What the hell?!" George jumped back in shock.

"How the hell can we hear you?"

 _Your girl there is a genius._

 _Kat created a spell so that Animagi can project their thoughts into the mind of other Amimagi or wizards and witches._ Kat had to admit that it was kind of silly watching as otter-Hermione was moving as if she was still speaking as a human.

She felt as strong arms wrapped around her neck. "You are so soft love. You realize this means you are going to have to teach us too right?" Kat purred and rubbed against his face again.

 _Of course I will if you promise to actually listen to me. And to answer your question George, no we are not illegal…at least not anymore._

George and Fred let out deep belly laughs. "So what made you want to do this and why weren't we told?"

 _Christmas present for Gram._ When she didn't offer any other explanation both boys started laughing again.

"You broke multiple school rules,"

"And multiple laws,"

"Convinced these two to join you,"

"And created a complicated spell,"

"Just to give your grandmother,"

"A Christmas present?"

 _Yup._ Kat sat down on her hind legs and wagged her tail happily, her wings glowing even brighter. She made a funny rumbling sound when Fred laughed and tackled into her. _I love you too._

"Who all knows?" George asked when he finally finished laughing.

 _Well mum and dad, Dumbledore and McGonagall, Snape, and now you two._ Ginny thought to them.

 _And now that we are registered it will be printed in the next copy of the Prophet so by tonight everyone that reads it will know._ Hermione added.

"Bloody hell, why are there so many animals in our lab and why are you two talking to them?" Lee had popped into the back room and was looking around confused.

 _Hi Lee!_ Kat thought, running over to him and jumping up using her extra weight and powerful paws to push him down onto the ground. The others started laughing as he tried to push the large lion off of him.

"Help! Get this thing off me before it eats me!"

 _How rude! I would never eat you. Have no idea where the hell you've been._ Kat deliberately sat down onto his stomach purring when she heard his gasp of breath.

"It's talking to me using Kat's voice." Lee whispered.

"That's because it is Kat," George whispered back.

"And I think you offended her," Fred added grinning.

Lee looked up at giant lion with wings currently licking its' large paw while crushing his chest and saw that her wings were going back and forth between red and yellow. "Kat?" The lioness looked down at him unamused and nodded once. "Er sorry love didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Now could you please get off of me?" Kat glanced down at him again and seemed to be considering if she really wanted to move. She gave him a very sloppy lick and jumped up, her tail whacking him across the face as he sat back up. Lee looked at the two other animals. "Ginny? Hermione?"

 _Yes?_ Both answered at the same time.

"Bloody hell this day is weird. Ok well my furry friends, you need to become humans again as there are two cranky professors looking to take you back to Hogwarts."

The girls quickly transformed back into their human forms and gave hugs goodbye. Kat gave Fred a lingering kiss, promising to see him soon for Christmas. When they had left George and Fred explained to Lee what Kat had done and how she had convinced Hermione and Ginny to do it with her. Lee shook his head in disbelief and peeked at Fred before saying, "Mate, you've got one scary ass witch. Scary smart, gorgeous, and quite frankly, dangerous. Do not let that one go." George laughed but Fred just nodded in agreement. He had no plans to ever let his witch fall through his fingers.


	14. Bonded for the Holidays

**Disclaimer** : Still not owning a single cent of it.

 **Warning** : The naughty bits of this story have reached a climax (pun intended). This chapter (and a few more later) include SEX. Told ya, it was rated M for a reason. Thanks again for reading!

* * *

 **Chapter 14 – Bonded for the Holidays**

Kat could not wait to get to the shop today to see her boys. The past few days were exhausting waiting for the damn holiday to start. Just as Hermione had predicted their new status as Animagi had been recorded in the Prophet and everyone wanted to see their forms. Finally frustrated with the disruptions to classes Severus had demanded they show their forms one evening at dinner and then proclaimed that the whole school had now had proof so they could finally stop gossiping and go back to work. It had also caused quite the fight between Ginny and Hermione with Harry and Ron who were upset at being left out.

Now it was time to celebrate Christmas and Severus had finally agreed to allow Kat to leave the castle and visit Fred, George and Lee at their store and then head to the burrow for Christmas dinner. Of course he only did this on the command of her grandparents and only with the agreement that he would escort her to the shop and personally look over the wards that were protecting the flat above before allowing her to stay. She had tried to argue with him but both Severus and her grandfather stated that it was either allow herself to be babied or not be allow to go at all. Her grandmother did not understand why they were being so overprotective this year but she trusted their judgement with a roll of her eyes.

When a soft knock came to her door, Kat jumped up and quickly crossed the room to open it, grinning as she looked up at the dour potions master. "Happy Christmas Severus!" She quickly pushed a package into his hands before he could refuse it and happily pranced past him.

"Happy Christmas Kat, you are disgustingly joyful this afternoon," he said with a small smirk.

"Of course I am," Kat grinned even bigger, "It is Christmas and I am actually being allowed out of this damn castle. Nothing will ruin my Christmas this year, not even a Grinch of a Master." He seemed shocked when she looked up at him and she gave him a small wink. "Let's go, hurry! Before everyone changes their minds about allowing the caged kitten out!"

She heard a small chuckle as she started moving towards her grandparents' quarters. She waved to them as her and Severus walked to the floo and stepped into the upper flat of her boys. She had hardly crossed the threshold when a pair of strong arms picked her up and spun her around in a circle.

"Could you please wait until I have left before being sickeningly touchy? I would like my meals to remain in my stomach." Kat giggled up at the disturbed expression that was pasted on Severus' face.

"Sorry, sir, it's just been a while since our flat has been blessed with such radiance." Fred gently set her back to her feet and gave Severus a low bow. "Thank you, kind sir, for delivering the beautiful princess out of her castle tower." Kat tried hard not to laugh as Severus grunted and left in a billow of dark fabric to double check the wards and obviously escape. When they had been left alone, Fred slowly turned her face up towards his. "Oh, I have missed you love." He pressed his lips to hers and she felt a sudden sensation of completeness.

"Kat!" Turning towards the door she saw the smiling faces of George and Lee both wiggling their eyebrows at the couple.

"Do we get a hello like his?" Lee asked. "Because I promise that I'm a much better snogger than that idiot."

"Sorry, that type of hello is only reserved for handsome red-headed pranksters."

"So I get a shot?"

"George!" Kat giggled as Fred sent a small hex towards his brother. "So how long do we have before our entourage arrives?"

"Bill said that he and Charlie are taking the youngins for some last minute things and then they should be by in about thirty minutes or so. Oh and the cranky bat said he would be to the burrow at nine o'clock tonight to take you back Kat." George rolled his eyes.

"Only thirty minutes?" Kat didn't mean to sound so sad about how short of a time she would get alone with Fred but she couldn't hide it.

George smirked at her while Fred looked at her with darkened eyes. She felt his fingers tighten against her hip, pulling her body closer to his. "Well Lee, I guess we should give them their present now."

"I agree."

"We get one together? Well that's cheap of you." Fred complained, not actually upset.

"Thirty minutes." George wiggled his eyebrows again as he started walking to the door. "But do remember silencing charms."

"And we don't want any nieces or nephews either," Lee turned with a wink. "Happy Christmas lovebirds." With that George and Lee walked out of the door and back down to the shop.

Kat turned towards Fred and was taken back by the obvious desire that had replaced his normal goofy grin. Kat felt beautiful, wanted and confident. She closed the small distance between them and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself up to his ear. "Happy Christmas my love. I was wondering something," she whispered, her fingers ghosting a trail up into his hair and gently tugging.

"Yes?" She felt his shiver when she lightly ran her tongue down his neck ending in a kiss on his shoulder.

She looked up at him with hooded eyes, feeling a sharp stab of desire run through her. She bit her bottom lip and looked into his deep blue eyes, looking for confirmation that he would not deny her. "Will you complete the Bond with me? Make me yours." A deep growl came from his lips as he swiftly pulled her up into his arms, lips crashing against hers as he carried her into his bedroom and shut the door. He gently laid her upon his bed, waving his wand quickly putting up multiple silencing spells before placing the wand on the table next to the bed and joining Kat.

"Are you sure?" His voice was now the sexy husky sound that told her he was aroused.

"Completely." She hissed as he slowly began kissing her neck, his hands moving up under her jumper and finding her breast. Soon what had begun as a gentle invitation quickly turned into a passionate battle to see who could get the other naked quicker. "Fred, oh Merlin, I love you." Kat moaned as Fred's talented fingers found their way into her core. "Fred, oh yes, Fred please."

"Cum for me love." Fred moved his fingers in a swift assertive way that brought her whole world crashing around her, her walls tightening on his hand and the loud moan that escaped her made Fred groan and press his groin into her thigh. She could feel his erection pulsing with need and it only made her more demanding.

"Fred, I want you, get in me please." She watched as Fred's eyes widened with delight and he slowly moved so that he was positioned at her warm entrance. He glanced at her, an unspoken question for confirmation, and with a small nod, he slowly inched himself in. "Fred, please," Kat whimpered at his slow pace and tugged him. With one quick trust Fred was in to his hilt. Kat moved her hips against his, pulling a moan of pleasure from him. "Move I need you to move, oh Merlin, so full."

"Kat, oh lord, so tight. You're so damn tight." Kissing her lips he began drawing himself slowly out to the tip and then just as torturously slow back into her. He moaned as she started to join his movements, a gasp of pleasure escaping her lips, encouraging him to move faster. She felt the warmth of her magic begin to surge forward as he quickened his pace, groaning again as she moved her legs to wrap around his waist in order to pull him even deeper. She could feel her walls tightening around him as he drew her closer and closer to orgasm. "Cum love, cum. I won't last much longer."

"Harder, Fred oh Merlin, harder!" And oh did he listen. She felt like she was about to break into pieces, the feeling of him being in her was so amazing that she could hardly think. With one last scream of his name she exploded and the sound of her coming undone at his hands caused Fred to lose his last few bits of control. As she felt him release into her their magic suddenly flared up, wrapping itself around both of them, the power so strong that she couldn't breathe. She felt a warm tingling sensation moving around her left arm and wrist, a feeling of absolute love and happiness settling over her. The look on Fred's face was telling her that he had felt the same sensation. She had small feeling of emptiness when Fred moved to her side and pulled her close to his side.

"That was amazing."

"Yes, yes it was. Fred, I love you."

"And I love you. Hey what's that?" She looked down to where his hand was tracing a strange marking on her left arm. "Oh wow, I have one too." She then glanced to his arm as well. Where before both arms were bare, now each had elaborate twisting designs wrapping around their forearms. Hers was a beautiful purple, which she knew that even though he would never admit it, was Fred's favorite color. A beautiful circle of vines and flowers covered part of her wrist and arm, with curling wisps moving out of it to twist around her hand to her ring finger and twirling the opposite direction towards her elbow. Jumping and dancing in a happy movement in the center of the circle was a beautiful red fox. She looked at Fred's and laughed. The circles, leaves, and flowers were identical to hers but in a vibrant blue, the color of Kat's eyes. Standing proud and tall in the circle was a gorgeous Shedu, her stunning wings a multitude of changing colors.

"Soulmates." Kat whispered.

"Forever, my soulmate, I love you." Fred whispered back, his voice holding a tone of reverence.

* * *

"George! Lee!" George looked up as a large group of people had moved into the closed shop and smiled.

"Happy Christmas you lot!" Harry and Ron were already looking around the store, laughing as they took in the new Christmas items. George grinned when he saw Harry picking up the magical Holly and gave a quick glance over to Ginny. Ginny and Hermione were cooing over the latest group of Pigmy Puffs, giggling when one changed into a rainbow. "We made that one based off of Kat, of course. Trying to get her to mate though, that's been tough."

"The puff or Kat?" Lee joked, causing Ron and Harry to both choke.

"Too much information with that," Bill said as he and Charlie entered the shop last, double checking the wards. "What's with your wards? They are more complicated than normal."

"That would be thanks to the visit of our very own Princess." Lee laughed.

"Snape himself put up the wards while complaining and bitching that we were not being cautious enough and how he should just take the witch back to the castle instead." George rolled his eyes. He had no idea why Snape was so worried about Katerina's safety but apparently it was allow him to fortify the wards or Kat would not be staying. "He was on his way to the burrow to do the same thing when he left."

"Why would he want to do that?" Harry wondered aloud.

"Dunno. But Kat wasn't allowed to stay unless we let him and I personally do not want Fred killing me because he doesn't get to see his witch again."

"I wonder why they've been so protective about Kat this year," Hermione speculated a look of concern crossing her face.

"Yet again they are keeping something from us," growled Harry.

"Seems like everyone is keeping secrets from us this year," Ron complained sending a disgruntled look towards Hermione and Ginny who both blushed.

"Hey we told you we would try to help you do it too." Hermione said.

"So where are Fred and Kat?" Charlie asked changing the topic before another argument could happen.

"We gave them their Christmas present a little early," Lee said with devious grin.

"And they have about five more minutes, since you lot are early."

"Mum is going to kill you all, you know that right?" Bill said, laughing. Suddenly the entire store started shaking, products falling off the walls and crashing to the floor. Everyone grabbed their wands, looking around for what had caused the quake. A burst of solid power raced down the stairs behind George, strong enough to push George forward onto the floor and cause the curtain to fall.

"What the fuck was that?" Charlie asked, pulling himself up. George looked around and saw that everyone had been knocked to the ground.

"It came from upstairs," George said worried about what had happened.

"You lot, stay here with Lee, do not move or leave," Bill said, nodding to George and Charlie.

"Why?"

"Absolutely not, we are coming."

"Ginny, I will stupefy you if I have to. Mum told us to watch out for you all. Stay here." George had never heard Bill threaten Ginny before. He watched as Bill threw what looked like a stick to Lee. "If you hear fighting, all of you grab that and say portus. It will take you directly to the Burrow." Lee nodded while the others looked mutinous.

George turned towards the stairs, wand held out in front of him trying to keep the nauseous feeling from taking him over as Charlie and Bill followed him, their wands at the ready. They got to the door to the flat and tried to open it. It wouldn't move. Bill stepped forward and started taking down wards that they hadn't even known were placed upon the door. Power was still vibrating out from behind the door making concentration hard. When Bill had finally broken through the last ward, they quietly opened the door, scared of what they would find. His jaw dropped open when he finally realized what he was witnessing.

Fred was dancing with his back to them in the small kitchen getting down mugs while only in his boxers. George looked over at Charlie and Bill and saw that they both had the same looks of surprise. Before any of them could say anything, Fred had started to talk. "Hey love you want anything to snack on?"

His eyes widened even farther when he heard a very sultry response from Fred's room. "Oh I want something, but it certainly isn't food." He heard a gasp come from Charlie and a nervous chuckle from Bill. Fred heard them too, quickly turning and ready to throw the mugs at whoever was in the room. When Fred saw their faces of amusement and surprise, what could only be described as an arrogant smirk replaced his look of alarm.

"What's up guys?"

"You didn't." Bill sighed, staring at Fred's newly tattooed arm while rubbing his forehead. "Mum's going to kill you."

"Don't care, totally worth it," Fred's smirk got even bigger. Charlie started to laugh but his laughter stopped quickly and his eyes widened his mouth dropping. George, Bill and Fred looked to see what had taken Charlie by surprise. "Yup, totally worth it," Fred's voice was thick. Standing in the doorway to Fred's bedroom was Kat, dressed only in a large Weasley sweater, the large F was covering her chest and the hem just coming to mid-thigh. Her slender legs were bare and her colorful hair was red and pink, a combination that they had discovered meant love and lust, and it had a wonderful look of just being shagged. George knew that it was wrong to think about his brother's soulmate in such a way but he felt blood rushing to another head.

"Merlin," he heard Charlie whisper.

"Oh," Kat blushed, her hair turning bubble gum pink, "Had no idea you guys were here. Erm…" Her blush got even darker and she looked down, then gave an adorable squeak as she realized just how undressed she was. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and then looked back at them. "So I'm guessing it's time to go. I guess we'll need to get dressed."

"You're more than welcome to come like that," George wiggled his eyes at her and laughed when she blushed again. "None of us men will complain."

"Nope, mine." Fred growled. Charlie and Bill laughed. "Alright give us a few minutes to get dressed." He stood up and started to move to the room that Kat had already disappeared into.

A small voice came drifting back into the room. "Fred, love, where the hell did you throw my clothes?" He saw Fred tense and bite his lip, obviously trying not to groan out loud. Then the smirk returned and he glanced over at his brothers, "You know what, we'll meet you at The Burrow. I'm sure I can get her there safe."

Charlie, Bill and George all started laughing, Bill shaking his head. The three of them left the lovers to _get dressed_ and walked back down to the shop. Charlie looked back at them both and just shook his head. "Did you see those legs?" He grumbled. "I think it may be time for me to find a girlfriend. Though I doubt we'd create a damn earthquake." Bill and George laughed even harder.

"Why are you bloody laughing?" Ron demanded.

"What caused the shop to shake? Are Fred and Kat alright?" Ginny asked.

"Oh they are more than alright," George said starting to laugh again.

"What are you talking about?"

"Let's just say that little Freddie and Kit-Kat are all grown up."

"Kat is _definitely_ all grown up," Charlie smirked.

"I don't think I'll ever look at a Weasley sweater the same way again," Bill added, a sly smile on his face. "Wonder if I can get Fleur into one."

* * *

Sitting down for dinner at The Burrow that evening was extremely awkward for Kat and Fred. Both were waiting with bated breath for Mrs. Weasley to notice the very obvious tattoos. Thankfully since it was Christmas and it was cold they could wear jumpers that covered the majority of the tattoos but there was still the part on their hands that wrapped around to their ring fingers. Even with the fear of the Weasley matriarch knowing what had occurred that day Kat could not help but feel absolutely complete. It felt as if her soul was finally whole and she was sure that nothing could make her day go wrong. That was until Charlie and George started talking. She noticed as Bill tried to shake his head at them but they ignored him.

"So did anyone else feel the small earthquake this afternoon?" Charlie asked innocently. She heard Fred growl at him.

"Earthquake?" Mr. Weasley looked up, "No, didn't feel anything. Where did this happen?"

"Oh just at our shop," George said smirking, "It was definitely _life changing_."

"Yup, felt it in my very _soul_." Charlie added. Kat kicked him under the table.

"It was a frightful moment, I'm sure the others will agree that they _bonded_ together to stay safe." Bill couldn't help but laugh at George's horrible pun.

"Well I'm happy you are all safe," Mrs. Weasley said, putting down another bowl, "Do you know what caused it?"

"No idea," Charlie grinned at Kat, "What about you Kit-Kat? Do you know why the store would suddenly shake and tremble?"

Now even Ginny and Hermione were giggling, Harry was blushing and thankfully Ron still looked absolutely confused. Kat tried very hard not to react but she knew that when Bill and George started laughing that her hair was giving her away.

"You always did look adorable with pink hair," Fred whispered in her ear. His breath caused a shiver to go down her spine.

"Are you cold dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked, concerned.

"You know I'm sure you'd look great in a Weasley sweater," George grinned. Bill and Charlie laughed even harder, though she was surprised to see a blush creep across Bill's face.

"What is with you three? Leave Kat alone. Fred could you please pass me the potatoes?" Mrs. Weasley looked over at her son, reaching for the bowl that he was handing her, but she stopped moving her eyes wide. "You…you…did you?!" Without warning she grabbed his arm causing him to drop the bowl onto the table, the rest of the family looking on with either confusion or amusement. She pushed his sweater up his arm and just stared at the tattoo.

"It's so beautiful," Ginny sighed.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

Kat made the mistake of trying to cover her head with her hands. Hermione squeaked and Ginny grabbed her arm. "Kat, you have one too! Oh it's gorgeous!"

Those words seemed to finally bring life back into Mrs. Weasley who dragged Fred's arm around so she could compare the two tattoos. Looking back and forth between the two she had a look of awe and happiness that quickly turned into one of anger. "FREDRICK GIDEON WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU DO SUCH A THING BEFORE MARRIAGE!" Charlie, George, and Bill started laughing so hard they were nearly falling out of their seats which was the wrong thing to do because Mrs. Weasley turned to them. "Is this why you were teasing her?" They cautiously nodded. "YOU KNEW YOUR BROTHER COMPLETED A SOULBOND AND DIDN'T TELL ME!" Just as suddenly as she started yelling she turned to Kat and Kat flinched, waiting for her to yell at her as well. Surprisingly Mrs. Weasley had tears in her eyes, "Oh my dear I'm just so happy for you. To find your Soulmate, it's so extremely rare and I've always hoped that you would be in my family permanently. You'll be so good for my Fred. And the tattoos are absolutely beautiful. I still remember the day Arthur and I got ours." When she finished she pulled Kat into a strong hug.

"Why do we get yelled at and she gets a hug?"

"I'm pretty sure it takes two to tan-" George didn't even finish before Mrs. Weasley had thrown something at him.

"Now, I'm glad you two are happy, but you will not be staying alone together until marriage. Once was enough."

"Pretty sure it wasn't just once," Charlie whispered, earning a slap from Bill. Thankfully Mrs. Weasley hadn't heard.

"Mrs. Weasley, I really don't want to make you upset but I have absolutely no plan on getting married just yet and I am most definitely not staying away from Fred until that day." Kat heard giggling and a small gasp from the others. "I love him."

"B-but it's not appropriate-"

"Molly dear, you are being a bit hypocritical dear." A few groans of disgust were heard around the table. "Besides, a Soulbond is technically recognized as a magical marriage. By all laws of magic, Katerina and Fred are married now that the Bond has been completed."

Mrs. Weasley appeared to be thinking it over and then started crying again, grabbing Fred and Kat to her chest. "Oh my little baby is married! Well kind of, doesn't really count since I wasn't present. We'll need to have a real ceremony, after the war of course, and get you a beautiful dress."

"No offense Mrs. Weasley, but I'm quite glad you weren't present for the first one." Kat grinned up at her, the rest of the table laughing. Mrs. Weasley gently swatted her arm.

"I wouldn't be too happy young lady, just wait until you get back to Hogwarts and your grandparents." Everyone laughed as Kat suddenly looked sick.

"I still don't get it, what just happened?" Ron asked looking up at the group. Hermione sighed and shook her head while George punched his arm.

"Don't worry little brother, you're too young to understand the birds and the bees still."

* * *

Nine o'clock came just too fast and soon she was walking back up the path to Hogwarts' main entrance. She hadn't wanted to leave Fred as she wasn't sure when she'd be able to visit him again but they had promised to talk often. She was lost in her own thoughts twirling the beautiful gold locket that Fred had given her and hadn't even realized that she had begun to happily hum. Severus looked down at her with an eyebrow raised. She was happy that she had remembered to wear gloves so her tattoo was completely covered.

"Albus and Minerva have asked me to tell you that they will see you at breakfast, they had to retire for the night."

"Are they ok?"

"Yes, just a long day dealing yet again with the ministry."

"Oh, ok."

"I wanted to thank you for the gift." Severus said stiffly.

"Of course Severus. Did you like it? The book is charmed so that only you can read it and the quill with it will record whatever you dictate to it, even going back to change things that are wrong or if you change your mind. I also added charms to make it waterproof so spills won't be a problem." Kat knew that her hair was turning violet and pink before even looking down at her braid.

"Yes, well, thank you." They had arrived to their shared living room. Severus seemed very nervous. Suddenly he pushed a delicately wrapped gift into her hands. "Happy Christmas Katerina." And then he excused himself to his rooms.

Kat looked down at the present surprised. This was the first time that the dour man had ever given her a gift and she wasn't sure what to think of it. With a small smile she went into her chambers and sat down on her sofa, carefully opening the box. He had wrapped it in a lovely forest green with silver ribbon tying it. Inside of the box were two pieces of parchment and a beautiful pale blue set of robes. The first parchment she realized was a patent for the protective rings that they had finally created ready to be filed when it was safe for the product to be available to the public, the second a small note that simply said Happy Christmas to her. She carefully picked up the robes, amazed at how light and airy they felt, allowing the silky fabric to fall through her fingers. On the breast of the left side there was an elaborate, silver embroidered design and she gasped when she saw that it was in the shape a flying Shedu lioness. She smiled to herself, happy that she had managed to befriend the bad-tempered potions master. If only everyone else could see this side of him. She fell asleep smiling, thinking what a wonderful Christmas it had been this year. For the first time over a year, she felt truly happy and not sad when she remembered her parents. They would have wanted her to be happy and to live her life.

Kat couldn't stop herself from happily singing on her way down to breakfast the next morning. The Great Hall was still beautifully decorated and the ceiling was making it snow. It gave it a lovely magical feeling of it still being the holidays. She was wearing her lovely new robes over top of a simple white dress and stockings, her lockets and bracelet complimenting the outfit nicely. She continued singing as she sat down across from her grandmother the few students who had stayed for the holidays smiling up at her a few even began to join her in the Christmas carol.

"Good morning dear," Gram said passing her the teapot. "You seem quite cheery this morning."

"Had a very good Christmas." Kat started humming again and dancing slightly in her seat. She was so entranced in her thoughts and music that she hadn't realized that Severus and her grandfather had entered the hall. Severus glanced at her with a look of confusion while her grandfather just smiled, a bright twinkle in his eyes.

"Good morning everyone." Kat looked up to see her grandfather join them at the table and smiled at him as he started to sing to her humming. "It is so good to see you so happy Katerina."

"Thank you grandfather, it feels good to be so happy. Good morning Master Snape." She grinned at him and then looked down at her new robes, her smile reaching her eyes. He nodded at her, his eyes sparking with an unknown emotion before becoming blank again.

"Those are lovely robes my dear."

"Thank you gram, they were a very surprising Christmas gift. They are beautiful, aren't they?" She assumed that Severus would not appreciate her thanking him in front of everyone at the table so she just resumed humming. She was distracted by her thoughts again when she heard a small gasp. Her grandparents and Severus were looking at her left hand, eyes wide.

"Katerina," her grandmother's voice was very tight, "Would you care to explain to me why you decided to get a magical tattoo? You do realize that they cannot be removed?"

Severus was shocked when he saw that not only the green of guilt filtered through her previously yellow hair but also pink of embarrassment.

"Well, let's see it." Slowly Kat pushed up the sleeves of the robes, pushing her arm towards her grandparents. "I will say it is absolutely beautiful artwork. And the fox is quite fetching, but dear why would you do this?"

"Erm. Hormones?" Kat tried to joke.

"Very eloquent Miss Dumbledore," Severus actually smirked. "Minerva, I do believe that she was not alone in decorating her body nor do I believe that it was done at a tattoo shop."

"What do you mean Severus?"

"I think that Severus is saying that if we were to find young Mr. Weasley he would be sporting a tattoo of the same type in the same location." Thank Merlin her grandfather was still smiling at her. "My beautiful granddaughter let me be one of the first here to congratulate you on the completion of your Soulbond."

"Completion? Soulbond?" Gram was stuttering looking back and forth between Kat and the headmaster. "You're Bonded?!"

"Surprise?" Kat said with a small grin. Severus couldn't help it, he laughed deep and loud, scaring the students at the table who didn't even know it was possible for him.


	15. Death and Flight

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

 **Chapter 15 – Death and Flight**

Kat was freaking out. The months after Christmas had seemed to rush past her and suddenly the end of the year was closing in on them. She knew that a something bad was going to happen soon and that only she and Severus knew other than her grandfather. She had to constantly use occlumency around people as the guilt was causing her hair to remain an almost constant green. She was currently standing at the top of the astronomy tower trying yet again to get a grip on her emotions. What good was being a fucking Occlumens if her bloody hair gave away everything anyway? She felt the tears burning down her face. She tried hard to push her emotions to the back of her mind, locking them into a chest like Severus had said to try but they kept escaping when she was least expecting it.

"I knew you'd be up here."

"Hello Severus."

"Still can't stop the green?"

"How the hell should I be able to? In a few months I'm going to have to pretend that you are a horrible person that killed my grandfather. I'm going to have to lie to everyone I know and love and act like you took him from us. How can I go to my grandmother knowing that he is alive? How can I possibly face her and her grief while lying to her? I can't do this Severus. Grandfather has lost his bloody mind if he thinks this will work. Every time I think of what is going to happen I want to vomit." Kat rubbed her eyes with both palms. "Sometimes I'd rather just be my Shedu and fly out the window, never to return to this horrible world."

"I understand Kat, but you are stronger than that. You are one of the strongest witches I have ever met and one of the few that gets to see the real me. You can do this and you will do this, for your grandfather, for Harry and for me." She saw as he pulled a small vial out of his pocket. "I want you to take the memory of what we have planned and anything concerning it into this vial. I will then oblivate the remaining bits left in your mind. You can put it somewhere safe. When the either Dark Lord or I die, you will be able to open this vial again and remember what you need to do in order to wake your grandfather."

"Does grandfather know about this?"

"No, and honestly I don't care. You need some help and I will try not to take it personally when you hate me after this is done."

"I could never hate you Severus. I know you better than that."

"Take the vial Katerina."

"Thank you Severus, for helping me," Kat closed her hand around the vial and felt the tears begin to fall again. "Thank you for allowing me to be your friend."

"Katerina, this isn't goodbye. Just a see you later." Severus closed his eyes tightly.

She gave him a sad smile, "Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting*." She would always remember the feeling of his arms as he pulled her into a hug.

* * *

"Katerina! Katerina where are you?"

"Fred? Fred! Oh thank Merlin!" Kat ran into his opened arms. "Draco let Death Eaters into the school. Grandfather had left with Harry on one of his lessons and wasn't in the school. I saw Harry running towards the front of the school. He was chasing Severus."

"Snape?"

"Hurry we have to get out there."

Rushing out onto the grounds Kat saw multiple people fighting Death Eaters trying to force them out of the castle. She watched confused as suddenly the Death Eaters all started to run towards the Forest, obviously trying to get to the apparition spot outside the wards. She felt a pain as she saw Severus curse Harry who was flung backwards from the power. Why wasn't Harry wearing his ring? Why was Severus attacking him? Then she heard a cry that vibrated through her bones and turned toward the sound. There was a large group of people huddled around something on the ground at the base of the astronomy tower. Grabbing Fred's hand she pulled him to the sound, her heart telling her that it was her grandmother making that sound but her mind trying to rationalize it away.

"Kat, I don't think you should go there," she hardly felt as Charlie was pulling her backwards. "Fred don't let her go any farther."

"Let go of me!" She screamed. "Get off of me! Why is she crying? Gram! GRAM!" She felt Charlie and Fred holding her back. She looked over and saw that Ginny was crying into George's arms. So many students were crying. Why were they crying? What was wrong with her grandmother? "Get off of me dammit!" Finally getting pissed enough she felt her hair spark and she pushed out a rush of energy knocking both Charlie and Fred backwards a few feet. Finally out of their grasp she pushed her way through the crowd, using her magic if she needed to force people out of path. She saw her grandmother leaning over a body, crying and pulling at her hair in agony. She felt as a few students she distantly recognized tried to comfort her. "Gram?" Her grandmother looked up and turned towards her, tears streaming down her cheeks. Kat finally saw who she was covering and she felt as if her heart had stopped.

Lying motionless on the ground was her grandfather. The strongest, most powerful wizard she had ever known was no more. She didn't realize that she had moved until she was suddenly kneeling next to her grandmother. Everyone was looking at Kat with fear. They remembered the power that she had shown in great stress before and right now her hair was flashing between blue, red, and black and was violently whipping around her face sparks flying from the tips. It finally stopped on black, the power coming off of her solid enough they could almost touch it, and her eyes flashed with raw anger.

"Who?" She whispered. "Who killed him?!" She heard gram whimper. "I said who the fuck killed him?!" She was beginning to levitate from the strength of her growing anger. She watched as the group back up at her power. The ground was beginning to shake and she saw rocks rising off the grass with her. She saw most of the Weasleys now looking at her with terror, she watched as George was holding Fred back from getting to her. "Who killed my grandfather?!" She screamed.

"It was Snape." She heard a weak voice from behind her. Harry Potter. The one they really wanted.

"Where did he go?" The calm voice that she now had scared those present greater than when she had been yelling.

"The Forbidden Forest. I couldn't stop him."

"Don't worry Harry, I will find him, and when I do he'll wish that he killed me instead." Katerina growled and transformed while still in the air. She raced toward the forest ignoring the shouts to stop and the grief of Fred. She flew as fast as her wings would take her, hoping that she'd make it to the wards before the Death Eaters. He had betrayed them; he had betrayed her! How could he do this to her? He was her friend and he was actually on their side! Was it all a fucking lie? She made it to the wards and realized that she was too late. They had already escaped. Fuck. Kat sat back on her hind legs and roared. She beat the ground with her paws and swiped at a tree and then let out another roar, this one breaking halfway through. Kat fell down on her paws and cried herself to sleep. She promised herself that if she ever saw Severus again she would be the one that killed him.

* * *

It was raining the day of her grandfather's funeral. She thought that it made sense for the world to be sad on a day like this. Everyone was treating her with kid gloves again. Her grandmother was hardly eating and wouldn't talk to anyone. Kat's hair was thankfully keeping most people from getting too close to her. It hadn't stopped sparking since the day that her grandfather had been murdered and was now an almost permanent red with black tips. She growled at anyone who tried to tell her it would all be alright. The only people she would allow to hug her were Fred, George and her Gram. According to Fred though, most people were now slightly terrified of her, including some of the Weasleys, but that didn't bother her. She could not care less what they thought of her. The only thing going through her head currently was ending this war and killing Severus.

"Come on love, it's time to go to the Burrow." Fred pulled her arm and placed her hand on the portkey.

She sat in the living room of the Burrow listening to the conversations and arguments occurring. Grimwald Place was now compromised as HQ so Sirius, Harry, and Buckbeak had been forced to leave. Uncle Sirius had apparently made a deal with Dumbledore that if he was gone and HQ was no longer safe that Harry would return to the Dursleys. He was also trying to explain that by at least going there for a few short weeks then the Dursleys would have protection as well from Lily's sacrifice. She heard Hermione talking to Ginny softly about her plans to protect her parents and asking if she could come stay with the Weasleys after she was done. She heard Remus offer her grandmother and Kat someplace to stay and gram gratefully accept. She heard Bill and Fleur discussing about postponing their wedding and Mrs. Weasley saying absolutely not. For the first time in days Kat stood and spoke up, looking at the sad couple, "Grandfather always said the world was better with a little more love in it." Finally something snapped inside her heart and she started sobbing, hard ridiculous cries, her shoulders heaving and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She felt arms wrapping around her pulling her into a lap. The last thing she remembered was soft lips touching her forehead and a gentle voice telling her that everything would be ok.

Everyone was watching Fred with wonder and respect for how gently he was rocking Katerina back and forth. They had been surprised when she had finally spoken and even more baffled when all of her magic she had been radiating had drained out of her and she collapsed into a small ball in front of them. Fred had moved from his seat as soon as he saw her start to fall and wrapped his arms around her small frame. They watched as he lovingly carried her back to the sofa and sat down, sitting her into his lap and beginning to softly rock. Molly had no idea her trickster son could be so sweet and she was very proud of him. She watched in wonder as he lightly pushed Kat's now dark blue hair off her face and kissed her forehead, quietly whispering to her. Hope flooded into her heart as she saw right before the poor girl finally fell asleep in Fred's arms a flash of pink and yellow in all the sad blue.

"I don't know if I can take her from him right now." A sad voice said cutting into the silence. Minerva was looking at her granddaughter with love. "He seems to be the only one that can break through to her."

"Then you two can stay here instead," Molly answered. "At least until we know what is going to happen."

Over in another corner Harry, Hermione, and Ron were talking about their plans for when Harry was returned to the Burrow. Harry still did not want to return back to the Dursleys but Hermione stopped him. "Harry, Voldemort is going to be looking for _anyone_ that is related to you, he doesn't care if you hate them or they hate you. You cannot leave your family unprotected, no matter how much you want to just forget them. Your mom wouldn't want that to happen and you know that."

Harry looked nauseous and then glanced at Fred and Kat on the sofa. He felt a deep sadness in his heart when he looked over at Ginny who was now helping Mrs. Weasley get ready for dinner. Hermione was right. No one deserved to die for him, not even those who had tormented him for years just because he was different. His mother wouldn't approve of him leaving Vernon and Petunia unprotected against an army of dark wizards. He would return to Privet Drive one last time and do his hardest to convince them to move before his birthday when the protection of mother would finally fade. Looking back at Kat who was now sleeping sounding against Fred's chest he knew that he was going to have to have a very hard conversation with Ginny soon. He would have to make sure she was safe and the only way she would be safe is if she wasn't with him.

In the weeks after her grandfathers' death, Kat kept having really strange dreams in which she was remembering a conversation she had with Severus where he was trying to explain why he killed her grandfather. She kept remembering a strange glowing vial with something silvery in it. During the days she would constantly be thinking about why it felt so strange to feel hatred towards the man she now knew was a murderer. However no matter how hard she thought over it she couldn't help but think that this was all wrong. She remembered a gentle Severus talking animatedly about the end of the war and the fall of Voldemort. She remembered the gleam of hope that was in his eyes when he spoke of after the war. She saw his passion and his dedication to helping her create potions and magical protections that would help the Order. She remembered his smirk and his laugh whenever she managed to make him forget that he was in public around other people. She thought of beautiful pale blue robes that brought out the color of her eyes and the look he gave her when she wore them.

She would try to tell herself that he was the one that murdered her grandfather, he was the betrayer, he was the one that was able to lie to the Dark Lord himself so he was obviously able to lie to people that were not accomplished Legilimens. She would try to remind herself of her promise to be the one that killed him but something didn't feel right. It felt like her very soul would rebel against the idea of killing him. It hurt her head a lot and she would get start to get so frustrated that her magic would start to spark again.

As soon as her magic would begin to affect the others, Fred would be there with soft words and light touches bringing her back to a calmness she didn't believe she deserved. She had been relieved when her grandmother told her that instead of staying with Remus, Sirius and Tonks they would be staying with the Weasleys as her gram didn't believe she should be taken from her Soulbond during such times. Fred had chosen to remain at the Burrow until Katerina and gram knew what they were going to be doing leaving the flat to George and Lee. Kat would travel with Fred every morning to help at the shop but because of how volatile her magic had become she was only allowed to sit at the register. They had demanded that she stay away from the back room just in case her sparks set off a dangerous explosion. Kat would then return every day at lunchtime so that she could spend some time with her grandmother. Gram seemed to be doing much better now though she seemed to have forgotten how to smile. She couldn't blame her.

* * *

Tonight the Burrow was extremely full as everyone was getting ready to travel to get Harry. Fred was pissed at her for going and she was pissed at Fred for thinking that she'd stay if he left. Everyone was yet again watching the argument, even Moody being wary of interrupting while Kat's hair was violently whirling around her head.

"Why can't you stay here where it is safe?" Fred yelled at her. "Why do you always want to rush into battle?"

"How am I any safer here? And it's not a bloody battle. I'm going because he is my friend too and they need all the help they can get!"

"I don't want you hurt! You could die dammit!"

"Of course I can die this is war! And I wouldn't be any safer here with _you_ out there!"

"I can take care of myself."

"And I can't?"

"I don't mean it like that Katerina." Fred rubbed his face and glared at her. "I can't lose you."

"Well guess what – you die, I die whether I stay here at the Burrow or if I go." Kat screamed at him, holding up her Bond tattoo.

"WELL THEN I WISH WE DIDN'T COMPLETE THE BLOODY BOND!" Fred bellowed.

Kat felt as if she had been slapped. "Next time understand the fucking consequences before you jump into bed with someone." She hissed. She turned around and walked to the door watching as people quickly moved out of her way. She knew that her hair was probably dark red with black tips again. "This conversation is done. Let's go get Harry."

"Kat…" She heard the break in Fred's voice.

"Moody, get the others, we need to fucking leave." Kat raised her head up tall. "Sorry gram, again for the language."

"You know he's only worried about you right?" She heard George whisper in her ear.

"I know but he's being an arse and we don't have time for this."

Twenty minutes later they were at Harry's relative's house and Harry was arguing about the plan. "Told you he'd take it well," Hermione smirked.

"We've all been put in danger before Harry it's nothing new," Ron said.

"This is different! You're actually becoming me and making yourselves obvious targets!" Harry yelled.

"Listen this is the safest way to travel since you're still underage and Kingsley says Floos are being monitored." Hermione tried to explain.

"You won't do it dammit." Harry backed up.

After everything that had happened in the past few weeks plus the fight she had with Fred, Katerina was not in a loving and cheerful mood. "Oh for fuck's sake," she growled pointing her wand directly at Harry. "Immobulus." She heard gasps around the room as she walked over to Harry and quickly ripped out hairs. "Please stop being so bloody stubborn so we can get your damn arse to safety." She handed the hairs to Moody and waved her wand to release Harry.

"What the hell Kat?!" Harry yelled again. "I told you aren't doing this."

"Do I need to Imperio you?!" Kat screamed. "Stop acting like a child and do this!" She felt slightly guilty as she saw Harry and a large group of others step away from her.

"Potter, it's happening, we all know the risks." Moody growled. "Dumbledore, get your temper under control or we leave you here. Everyone who is turning into Potter get in a line."

Hermione, Ron, George, Fred, Fleur, Kat, and Mundungus lined up in the middle of the room. She watched as Moody added the hairs to the glass flask he was holding the potion inside turning a lovely green. She laughed when Moody held the flask to Harry and asked him to say something into the opening. Kat had forgotten that only Order members knew of her new Polyjuice Potion. She snorted when she heard Hermione commenting how his potion actually looked tastier than Crabbe or Goyle. She downed the potion and nearly spit it back out. It tasted horrible. She felt as she suddenly shot upwards and could no longer see. She agreed with Hermione that Harry's eyesight was absolutely horrible.

"Wait, how do we actually sound like Harry?" One of the Harry's asked.

"Katerina developed a new Polyjuice Potion for us that's why you had to talk into the flask," Remus answered.

"Actually the idea was Se-Snapes'." Kat said sadly.

"Katerina, you need to put up your shields, otherwise your hair is going to give us away," her Uncle said gently.

"Sorry." Kat instantly pulled her shields around her and suddenly felt emotionless.

"Whoa…Err Harry looks strange as an emotionless droid." Another Harry said while another started laughing – so those two are the twins.

"Alright Potters go to your Order Members. Real Potter – where the bloody hell are you? Right you're with Hagrid. Let's go!" Moody growled.

Kat walked up to her uncle and smiled. "You ready?" She nodded and walked out behind everyone else. She felt a small tug on her hand and looked over to see Harry but he wasn't looking at her like Harry would. She could see the love and the worry flashing through green eyes. "Please be safe Katerina."

"Of course Fred."

"How'd you know it was me?" He gave her a goofy grin.

"I will always know who you are no matter who you look like. Your eyes give away everything."

"I love you." Fred grimaced. "That's a weird thing to say to Harry's face."

"Oi! You two better not freaking kiss! I do not want to have a memory of two Harry's bloody snogging!"

There was a smattering of nervous laughter and suddenly Moody was calling for everyone to line up and prepare to take off. She glanced over at the Harry sitting with Mr. Weasley and felt her heart tense as he caught her eyes. Then they were in the air, her holding onto the broom in front of Sirius. They had barely broken through the clouds when there were flashes of green and red coming at them from all sides. She heard Sirius yell out. She turned and started hexing anyone with a mask as possible. She watched in horror as a strong hex took out the Harry with Remus and watched as Remus wrapped his arms around George so he wouldn't fall off the broom.

"NO!" She threw a strong cutting hex at the Death Eater who had hit George and was frozen when his masked slipped and she saw his black eyes glaring at her. She felt Sirius grab her tightly as she realized that she was trying to get to him. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" She thought she saw a glimpse of sadness flash but it was gone so fast that she was sure she imagined it. She realized that they were still flying forward away from the fight. "NO! Sirius go back, turn back! It was him!" She was trying to beat his arms and force the broom to turn around. She felt as they passed through the strong wards and knew that they were at the Burrow. "WHY? WHY WOULDN'T YOU LET ME GET HIM!" She yelled at her uncle, swinging her fists into his chest. When he didn't answer her or fight back, she started walking towards the wards.

"Katerina get back here." Her uncle growled.

"SCREW YOU! I'M GOING BACK TO KILL HIM!" She didn't notice as more people were arriving back, Remus and Kingsley asking them protection questions. She assumed they left Sirius and her alone since they could see her hair flashing.

"You are not going anywhere! I will knock you out if I have to."

"THAT BLOODY BASTARD DID THIS!" Then the realization hit her. His hex had hit George and seriously injured him. She knew that George was wearing his ring and that shouldn't have been able to happen. Severus knew how to get past the rings. This was all her fault that they wouldn't work because she trusted him. "FUCK!" She felt her power surge and suddenly she was levitating in the air, the whole Burrow shaking behind her. She wanted him dead. She wanted to rip his heart out of his chest and show it to him.

"We have to calm her down!" She heard Remus yell. "She's going to take out the wards!"

"She's going take out the fucking house!"

"Fred, you need to get to her," Hermione said. "Use your Bond."

"What?"

"The Bond! Pull some of her magic into you and you can push calmness into her!"

She was angered when she felt her power being ripped out of her and tried to shove the calm energy out of her. She heard a scream of pain and finally looked down at the ground. She saw Hermione and Ron standing over a redheaded man that was so familiar to her. She saw Remus, Kingsley and Sirius staring at her, their wands pointed at her. More power flowed out of her and she heard the scream again. It was Fred. Her Fred was screaming and she knew that she was the cause of it. Shame and concern took over and she felt her anger subside as her body lowered to the ground. She ran to Fred, terrified that she had hurt him.

"Fred love, are you ok? I'm so sorry!" She felt relief when he looked up at her and grinned.

"Bloody hell you are one powerful witch." She threw herself at him, tears falling as she kissed his face. "Now let's go inside."

"Is George going to be ok?" She whispered. His pale face and look of confusion told her that he didn't know yet. He jumped up and ran into the house temporarily forgetting her. Kat understood and she hated herself for not easing him into the knowledge that George had been injured. Hermione placed an arm around her to help her into the Burrow. Ron would not come near her and the three older wizards still had their wands in their hands. She was so tired of scaring the people she loved and she still hadn't learned to control her magical surges. Guilt flashed through her when she saw George lying on the sofa his head bandaged but thankfully he was still breathing.

She tried to laugh when George was joking about his holiness but it fell short. Remus was the one to notice that her hair was getting greener by the second. "Kat? What's wrong?" Multiple pairs of eyes shot to her, looks of apprehension and unease as they all glanced up at her hair. She felt a sting of sadness when she saw many of the men gripping their wands.

"The rings," she said softly. "S-s-snape was the one to hex George. I saw his mask slip after I hit him with a hex. He's figured out how to get past the r-rings." She put her hands into hair and pulled, frustrated that she had been so stupid. "I'm so sorry that I trusted him." She felt arms pull her into a hug and was surprised to see that it wasn't Fred but Remus.

"We all did Katerina," he said gently, "This is not your fault."

"Plus the rings worked for everyone else," Ron stated.

"Why would he not tell the other Death Eaters how to get past them?" Ginny wondered.

Kat didn't understand it either. If he was on the side of Voldemort and he had figured out how to bypass the protection rings why would he not tell Voldemort and his Death Eater friends? It made no sense. Before they could continue to contemplate about the goals of Severus Snape, Bill and Fleur had finally returned.

"Mad-eye is dead." Bill said quietly. "Mundungus disapparated as soon as the Death Eaters arrived."

"Well there's our mole."

Later after most of the Order had returned home and the Weasleys, Hermione, Harry, Kat and gram were settled in for the night Kat snuck back outside walking down towards the large tree that held the treehouse that the oldest Weasley boys had made when they were younger. Carefully climbing up the old wooden ladder Kat pulled herself up onto platform. They had only made a floor and added railings, leaving the top open to the sky. According to Bill they had seen a picture in one of their dad's muggle magazines and wanted to do it without magic. She transfigured a large rock into a soft pillow and laid down on the floor looking up into the blackened sky. She knew that if she stood up and looked off the southern edge she would see the turrets of her childhood home. She wished that she could just turn back time and go to that horrible night. Maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe she could change it all. She knew that was a hopeless dream, knew that playing with time was extremely dangerous and that if she had been able to she may have ended up destroying the world, making it worse than it already was.

She had tried so hard to sleep but she kept thinking about what Severus had done. She couldn't understand why he wouldn't give away Order secrets while still attacking Order members. She didn't understand why even though her damn head told her that he was an evil betrayer, why her heart and soul told her otherwise. She still kept having memories of a vial and distant memories. She was getting frustrated again and that caused her anger to spark again which pissed her off even more because she still couldn't harness the extra power she had. Everyone that night had tried to stay away from her, only talking to her when necessary. Even her grandmother was keeping her distance scared to bring forth the anger again. Fred had glued himself to George for the evening having almost lost him and Fred was also still recovering from the pain of absorbing her extra magic. She felt so alone and had no idea how to make her friends feel safe around her. Her grandfather would have known what to do.

She heard the ladder swing and quickly jumped up wand trained at the entrance of the platform. When she saw red hair and blue eyes she dropped her wand and ran to him. He didn't say a word to her just crushed his lips to hers demanding entrance. She felt the same need and desire, the craving to assure the other that they were ok, that both of them had survived the night. This was not a gentle love making. This was a rough, passionate, desperate combining of two people who were scared this would be the last night they would spend in each other's arms. When they lay panting and sweaty next to each other they still didn't speak, they just looked at each other gently touching and kissing, and when their bodies began to react again they then took it slow and sweet putting as much love as they could into each other. She fell asleep with his arms wrapped tightly around her, his lips gently kissing her neck and shoulder as he kept repeating over and over that he loved her.

* * *

*Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting - Quote from Peter Pan


	16. Bathing Suits, Singing and a Wedding

**Vani12** : Thank you so much for the very kind review! The quick updating is actually because I already have the entire story completed - it's just taken a lot of nudging from my husband and my sister to get over my anxiety and actually post it to a public venue. The reason I haven't posted the entire thing is I wasn't sure anyone would like it and I didn't know if people would prefer the whole thing at once (let me know if it's otherwise!). I promise that all your questions about the SoulBond and her relationship with Severus will be eventually explained. As for Kat, I didn't base her off of anyone in particular (at least not intentionally) - I just thought that how she is would be a good combination of intelligence from McGonagall; power and mischief from Dumbledore; temper and prankster from the infamous Black blood; and of course, parseltongue and ambition from her not so popular Riddle blood. Thank you again for your review and I hope that you continue to like my story!

 **Disclaimer** : Not mine to claim Harry Potter.

Again, thank you everyone for taking the time to read this!

 **Chapter 16 – Bathing Suits, Singing and a Wedding**

Two weeks after Harry's arrival and the Burrow was in a mad dash to prepare for the wedding. Bill and Fleur were going back and forth on whether they should even be having the wedding at a time like this. Mrs. Weasley, stressed to her limit, had screamed about how they would be getting married and they would have a wonderful, perfect wedding even if she had to tie Bill and Fleur up and force the two of them to be bloody happy. When the house had heard Mrs. Weasley curse, they knew that they probably should just allow the witch to do whatever she wanted.

Kat was currently helping Hermione and Ginny fold some sheets when she heard Ginny sigh. Looking up she saw that Ginny was staring dreamingly out the window. She elbowed Hermione and nodded her head at Ginny. Kat and Hermione walked over to the window quietly.

"Whatcha watching?" Kat grinned when Ginny jumped.

"Nothing!" Hermione laughed as Kat watched Ginny's face become the same red as her hair. She was grateful that at least younger people in the Burrow had become more comfortable around her after she apologized for scaring them. Picking Ginny up and moving her to the side Kat looked out the window and laughed even louder. Working outside the house in the garden putting up the tents and degnoming were the boys and it was an amazing sight. Charlie, George, Fred, Ron, and Harry were all delightfully shirtless and sweaty chasing after the little annoying gnomes.

"Oh Merlin," Hermione sighed and then gasped blushing.

"Thank the gods for quidditch," Ginny moaned, watching as Harry threw a gnome into the air and then wiped his brow with a towel.

"What the hell is in your genes Ginny?" Kat groaned, "All the guys in your family are bloody hot…well except Percy."

Ginny looked disgusted but Hermione was agreeing. "Never thought I'd find a tattoo sexy but Fred and Charlie are just so –" She sighed. "I'm pretty sure they'd convince me to do anything."

"Hey, Fred is taken," Kat growled. "But I think Charlie is free and available." She wiggled her eyebrows. "And damn that man is hot."

"Oi, you're already Bonded!" Ginny laughed.

"I can't touch but I sure as hell can enjoy the view." The girls started laughing. "Hey want to get them back for being so damn untouchable and annoyingly hot?"

"What are you thinking?" Hermione looked unsure.

Ignoring her, Kat quickly used a charm to finish the folding. "Mum told us not to –" Ginny stopped talking when Kat glared at her. She walked to the door of the laundry room. "Mrs. Weasley, we're done with the sheets is there any chance we could take a small break and go for a quick swim before helping you make lunch?" She saw the grin on Ginny's face.

Mrs. Weasley popped her head into the room. "You girls have been working so hard for me, I think you can have small break. It is terribly hot out today. Just make sure you're back in time to make lunch, Merlin knows how I can keep up with all those boys right now."

"Of course Mrs. Weasley and as a thank you, we girls will cook dinner tonight." Kat said with an innocent grin.

"Oh, why thank you dear," Mrs. Weasley looked startled, "Such a sweet girl." She turned and happily left the girls.

"You're planning something." Hermione accused her.

"Of course I am," Kat said cheerfully. "What do you girls know about muggle bathing suits?"

* * *

"Why do we have to do this today? It's so bloody hot out here," Ron complained for the millionth time that morning.

"Because your mum will hex us into next week if we don't," Harry said grabbing another gnome and quickly spinning it before it could bite him.

"Almost wish I was a bloody girl they get to stay inside."

"I'm not entirely sure you aren't one with how much you bitch," George growled.

Charlie, Harry, and Fred laughed while Ron threw a gnome at George's head. George was about to retaliate when they heard giggling and singing. Looking up they saw Kat, Hermione and Ginny walking out of the house holding towels and a radio was levitating behind them. Kat had her towel draped around her neck and was singing loudly, pulling on Ginny and Hermione's arms forcing them to dance with her.

"Bloody hell." Ron whispered.

"What the hell are they wearing?"

"Or not wearing you mean?"

"Damn, had no idea Granger was hiding that."

Harry hadn't taken his eyes off Ginny. She was smiling and laughing while Kat was twirling her around but he couldn't keep his focus above her shoulders. She was wearing what had to be the smallest bikini he had ever seen and it was the same color as his eyes. He could feel his pants becoming tighter and flushed when he remembered he was surrounded by her older brothers who all had wands with them. He spared a glance at them and saw lust in their eyes and felt a little better about the extremely dirty thoughts he was having about Ginny. He was surprised to see that the Weasleys were all going back and forth between Hermione and Kat. Harry had never seen any of them with such little clothing on and he felt a brotherly need to hex anyone that looked at Hermione too long.

Fred felt the need to simultaneously cover Katerina up in a cloak and rip the small bits of black cloth off her body. His dick jerked when he heard her beautiful voice raise up to reach the higher notes of the song as she shook her butt in a seductive way. "I think they are trying to kill us." He gave a rough laugh.

"Hello boys," Kat said with a grin.

"Ginny, get back in the damn house," Ron growled, "You can't go around like that."

"I think she looks amazing –" Harry started to say but the glare of four men taller than him shut him up quickly.

"Ronald it's a swim suit," Hermione said crossing her arms across her chest not realizing that the action would push her breasts out farther. Ginny laughed when she saw how Charlie and Ron reacted.

"There is no way those are swim suits," Ron stuttered.

"They are. Muggle ones actually," Kat said winking. "And as your dad would say, we should always be willing to learn more about our muggle friends."

Fred laughed. "What are you up to?"

"Us?" Kat asked innocently, "Absolutely nothing sweetheart. We just finished our chores and your mum is giving us a small break before lunch."

"Kat suggested we go for a swim." Hermione said bashfully.

Fred looked at Kat with pure lust when he realized that it was Kat's idea for the outfit that was taunting him. He smirked when she caught his eyes and her hair flashed to red and pink before going back to yellow. She smiled at him and winked again. "You know it is dreadfully _hot_ out today, I mean we've only been outside for a few minutes and I already feel like I'm melting."

As if on cue both Hermione and Ginny nodded and raised their wands to secure their long hair into messy buns on top of their heads. He heard multiple groans and from the grin that crossed Kat's face he knew that they were doing this on purpose. "Katerina…" He growled.

"Yes dear?" She shook her long yellow curls as she grinned up at him. She started to sway again to the music and Fred forgot what he was going to say as he watched her body hungrily. "Come on girls let's go get _wet_ , we do only have until lunch." She turned to them and nodded as they turned towards the lake again. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she looked over to the boys. "It'll be just like hopping into a nice, refreshing, _cold_ shower which it looks like you boys may need as well." She gave a sexy giggle and walked away starting to sing again as she joined Hermione and Ginny. He saw as her hair flashed brighter yellow and the other girls bent over laughing shaking their heads at her.

"Fuck." Charlie had finally found his voice again. "Fred that girl is dangerous." His eyes were still locked on the three girls who were now all dancing and singing on the path towards the trees that held the family lake.

"Think mum will notice if we finish this later?" Ron whispered. "I have the sudden desire to go for a swim."

"Wonder if Angelina is up for a visit," George had already turned toward the house the gnomes completely forgotten.

"What are you boys doing just standing there?" Mrs. Weasley sharp voice finally brought them from looking at the area where the girls had just disappeared. "I need this garden to be completely gnomeless by lunchtime! Get back to work!"

"Dammit." Harry, Ron and George all had the same thought.

"Yup, going to kill your girl Fred." Charlie growled trying to adjust his shorts.

"Promise we'll miss you a bit." George added.

Fred was feeling a mixture of pride and frustration. "Merlin she is perfect for me. Fuck I'm screwed." He bent down to pick up another gnome as he heard the others start laughing. It was going to be a very long day.

* * *

"Oh lord, that was so much fun!" Hermione said laying her towel on the ground.

"You know that they are going to blame you Kat," Ginny said laughing.

"Don't care. Did you see how Ron and Charlie were looking at Hermione? I'm surprised they didn't start a duel right there," Kat said with glee. "And Harry looked at you like you were dinner."

"I felt a mixture of sexy, confident and unbelievable power – not something I'm used to when it comes to guys." Hermione blushed.

"It's so easy to fluster boys especially when we look this hot." Ginny said. "I wonder if they'll join us."

"Nah, I heard your mum right before we got into the trees," Kat smirked, "It's going to be cold showers for those boys." She wiggled her eyebrows at the girls as Hermione blushed and Ginny howled with laughter. "Oh and our last bit of devilishness is when we are done - no drying spells until we are in the kitchen."

"Merlin, you are absolutely evil!" Ginny could hardly breathe.

When they finally headed back to the house for lunch Kat was happy to see that the guys were still working on the garden. Hermione and Ginny had followed her rule of not using drying spells and instead they had their towels wrapped around their waists. Kat had made them both pull their hair down so it would be cascading down their backs seductively dripping water down their chest and backs. She turned and grinned at them waving her wand at the radio so a specific song would start playing. Wiggling her butt she started to sing.

 _It's time for me to take it_

 _I'm the boss right now_

 _Not gonna fake it_

 _Not when you go down_

 _'Cause this is my game_

 _And you better come to play_

 _I used to hold my freak back_

 _Now I'm letting go_

 _I make my own choice_

 _Bitch, I run this show_

 _So leave the lights on_

 _No, you can't make me behave_

 _So you say I'm complicated_

 _That I must be outta my mind_

 _But you had me underrated, rated, rated_

Kat pulled a laughing Ginny into a twirl again, peeking up to make sure that the men had noticed them, and sure enough they had stopped moving eyes glued to the dancing women. Still singing she went over to Hermione spinning around her and getting her to shake.

 _What's wrong with being, what's wrong with being_

 _What's wrong with being confident?_

 _What's wrong with being, what's wrong with being_

 _What's wrong with being confident?_

 _It's time to get the chains out_

 _Is your tongue tied up?_

' _Cause this is my ground_

 _And I'm dangerous_ (she winked at Fred)

 _And you can get out_

 _But it's all about me tonight_

Without stopping to talk to the boys they continued singing and dancing towards the house trying not to laugh at the stunned faces. Once they got into the kitchen they quickly did drying spells and broke into laughter. "Did you see their faces?" Ginny could barely speak.

"They were practically drooling," Kat said elatedly. "I'd say this morning was a complete success."

"Let's go change and help your mum with lunch," Hermione said.

"Yeah, I'm sure the boys are extremely _hungry_ now," Kat smirked when Hermione blushed and Ginny starting giggling again.

* * *

They were already sitting at the table when the guys came in, all five of them glaring at the three girls who were now properly covered. "Oh my you stink." Ginny said grinning.

"Showers will have to wait until after lunch, sorry boys." Mrs. Weasley said. "Alright need anything else? I've got to run to the shops."

"We're fine Mrs. Weasley," Kat said politely. "We'll make sure to clean up the kitchen when we're done."

"You are such an angel." Mrs. Weasley squeezed her shoulder and walked out of the door to leave.

"I think she means devil," George growled.

"Now George, that's just rude. Whatever have I done?" Kat asked with a mysterious gleam in her eyes.

"You know exactly what you did Katerina," Charlie hissed.

"Hmmm…" Kat pretended to be thoughtful. "What did we do today Hermione? Ginny? I just remember folding laundry, going to the lake, and being an absolute delight to be around."

"It was all your idea wasn't it?" Ron moaned. "I swear you are really Fred and George."

"No Ronald, you see I'm lacking a penis." Kat said with a very serious face. She watched with mirth while the boys all stammered and stuttered. "I truly hope that we don't have to explain the difference between girls and boys. I would like to think that our swimwear proved that one."

"Devil, you are the devil."

Kat grinned. "It really is too bad that you boys are so slow with your chores. You could have joined us at the lake. The water felt absolutely amazing."

"And Hermione was telling us of this game muggles play called 'chicken' where you have two teams of one person holding another on their shoulders and two on the shoulders try to knock each other into the water." Ginny winked at Kat. "We had really hoped to have you play with us. I would have loved to be on your team Harry."

Kat was shaking with quiet laughter at the blush that spread across Harry's face. Deciding to make it even worse Kat looked up and sighed. "Usually the teams are one boy and one girl but we don't have enough girls."

"Still have an even number though, it would work, just have to have a group of two guys," Hermione said innocently not understand Kat's mind. Fred however obviously understood and his eyes darkened.

"Or," Kat said sweetly, "They could share. Though I don't think they'd want their little sister and well you see Fred there is quite possessive. That would only leave Hermione." She sighed again, trying not to grin at Charlie, George, and Ron. "Hmm…I guess we'd have to do it your way Hermione. So which one you wanna team up with? I think we can persuade the boys to finish their chores quicker tomorrow."

"I-I-" Hermione couldn't even form a full word as she blushed.

"The devil," Charlie whispered, "Fred you married the damn devil."

"Ron, Harry I am only slightly sorry for my actions today as you weren't my targets though I will say this was so much fun," Kat said her smile reaching her ears. "Charlie, George, well guys all I can say to you two – revenge is better off cold. Happy Christmas. Enjoy those icy showers."

Hermione and Ginny squealed with laughter as the boys started arguing over who got a shower first. Fred pulled Kat to her feet and kissed her hard. "You are perfect."

"And you smell."

"Showers are going to be full by the time I get upstairs."

"The lake isn't," Kat whispered in his ear, "I'd love to _wash_ you off." She felt his fingers dig into her hips and the press of his groin against her.

"It would be much better than a cold shower," Fred hissed, "Unless you just want to tease me again."

"Nope. That lovely little bathing suit?" Fred growled. "I'm still wearing it under my clothes. Want to find out how much fun it can be to untie a knot?"

Fred grabbed her hand and pulled her to the door. "Going for a walk."

"You know that would be believable if Kat's hair wasn't giving it away," Charlie laughed.

"Going for a swim, not a walk," Kat giggled and then wiggled her eyes at Charlie.

"Why couldn't you have a bloody sister?"

"I do! Hermione and Ginny are honorary sisters." Kat winked at the girls before adding, "I know for a fact I'm not the only one that appreciates a tattoo, especially when said tattoo is on delicious muscles, right 'Mione? And, thank Merlin for Quidditch, right Gin?" She laughed when Charlie, Hermione, Ginny and Harry all blushed. She was extremely pleased when she caught Charlie looking up at Hermione with pure lust and Hermione bit her lip when she caught his gaze. "See you lot soon!"

* * *

On the day of the wedding preparations were interrupted yet again by the arrival of the Minister of Magic himself. Kat knew that he was here to give Harry, Hermione, and Ron the things that her grandfather had left them in his will. Gram and Kat had already had a meeting with him weeks ago. Kat was annoyed that he would wait this long to finally give them the items and Kat was extremely curious at what her grandfather had left them. Kat had been surprised when she had been given a letter that could only be read by her, a small box of memories, and her mother's pensive.

 _My dear Kit-Kat,_

 _Severus explained what he had done to your memories to help keep you safe and while I wish that it did not have to occur this way I will go along with his decision. All that I can say is that no matter how much you want to hate Severus, trust in him. The Severus you became friends with is the true Severus._

 _These memories are to be kept safe by you. Do not allow anyone to find them until after the war. It will all be explained later. There is one green vial in the box. You must allow your grandmother and Fred to view them. No one else. They will explain your ancestry and why you must be kept safe. You will understand when the time is right._

 _You have made me so proud my little Kit-Kat. Until we meet again._

 _Love,_

 _Your grandfather_

Yet again she had the feeling that her grandfather knew more than he was letting out about Severus and she felt it in her heart again that Severus was actually a good man. She was mad that the letter confirmed what her dreams were pointing to and that her memories had been tampered with by Severus. She hadn't said anything yet because she didn't think it would be a good idea to tell anyone yet. Kingsley said that the ministry was probably going to collapse soon and she thought that maybe that would be the best time as Voldemort would be truly in power then.

Kat hardly glanced up when she heard Harry yelling at the Minister. She honestly thought the man was a bloody idiot and deserved to be hexed into next week. She turned back to Fred and George going over their plan one more time.

"Now I love pranks as much as you two but we can't do anything tonight," Kat said. "Everyone deserves a perfect wedding." She looked up to see Fred smiling goofily at her. She smirked.

"We don't want to do anything bad tonight," George agreed. "We just want to surprise them and well neither Fred nor I can sing."

"Yup sound like cats hacking up hairballs."

"Attractive cats hacking up hairballs," Kat grinned. "And you're sure they'll like the song? I mean I know I love muggle songs but will Fleur like it?"

"Everyone will be focusing on your lovely voice,"

"And our wonderful stage effects than on whether you are singing a muggle song or not."

"It'll be a night to remember!" Kat couldn't help but giggle at their excitement.

Hours later and they were all in the large tent celebrating the happy newlyweds. Everyone was dancing and drinking and just plain having fun. Kat laughed as she saw Hermione being twirled around the dance floor by Charlie, a look of pure happiness on Hermione's face. She groaned when she saw Ron glaring at the couple. Kat had no idea if Hermione and Charlie were dating but she did know that there were some interesting sounds coming out of Charlie's room one night and how badly Hermione had blushed when Kat reminded him of silencing spells the next morning. Harry was slowly spinning Ginny around the floor as well though he was trying very hard not to step on her feet. She looked for the twins who nodded back and walked to the stage to talk with the band. She noticed that Bill was eyeing her suspiciously looking at her hair for clues however due to the overwhelming feelings of love and happiness her pink and yellow tinted hair gave nothing away.

"Excuse us,"

"Ladies and Gentlemen,"

"And Ron,"

"We would like to invite the groom and bride to the dancefloor." Fred and George both smiled at their brother and Fleur.

"We solemnly swear,"

"That we are up to good." Those who got the reference laughed.

Bill took Fleur's hand and slowly walked to the middle of the dance floor that was now emptying.

"We would like to present you with your wedding gift,"

"But as we don't want your guests to run screaming,"

"With bloody ears and memories they'll never forget,"

"We thought it best to leave it to the professionals. Though we do still want all of the credit." And with this the tent went completely black but before people could begin to freak out thousands of small glowing lights began lighting up and twirling around the couple. A lovely melody began to fill the tent and Kat walked up onto the stage and cast a silent Sonorus charm on herself. She gave Bill and Fleur a small smile who were watching her with apprehension before starting to sing trying to convince herself that she was not going vomit.

 _What if I told you it was all meant to be?  
Would you believe me? Would you agree?  
It's almost that feeling we've met before  
So tell me that you don't think I'm crazy  
When I tell you love has come here and now  
A moment like this_

She heard the gasps as Bill and Fleur started to dance, the enchanted lights gently following their movements around the dance floor.

 _Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
Some people search forever for that one special kiss  
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
Everything changes, but beauty remains  
Something so tender I can't explain_

 _Well, I may be dreaming, but still lie awake  
Can't we make this dream last forever?  
And I'll cherish all the love we share  
A moment like this_

 _Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
Some people search forever for that one special kiss  
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
Could this be the greatest love of all?  
I want to know that you will catch me when I fall  
So let me tell you this_

There was a gentle applause as Bill dipped Fleur and gave her a soft kiss. Kat could see Fred's face watching her as she dug down deep to reach the higher notes of the love song. She couldn't tear her gaze from his face her heart filled with love and desire.

 _Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
Some people search forever for that one special kiss  
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
Oh, like this  
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
Oh, like this_

When the song had ended, the lights in the tent returned to normal and all the guests were clapping. She saw that Mrs. Weasley was wiping her eyes and her Gram was looking at her with deep pride.

"Ladies and gentlemen,"

"We would like to introduce you to,"

"The musical talents,"

"Of Miss Katerina Dumbledore!" She blushed as the guests began clapping even louder than before and then heard them start to laugh when her hair turned bubblegum pink again. She gave a small wave and walked off the stage where Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were waiting.

"That was so beautiful dear," Mrs. Weasley said pulling her into a tight hug. "I knew you could sing but that was just amazing."

"Thank you Kat," Bill had come up to join them.

"It waz abzolutely 'eatuiful Katerina," Fleur hugged her tight, tears in her eyes. "I would zay that you could become a magnificent zinger if you wanted."

"Hey, I'm pretty sure we said that _we_ got all the credit." George said laughing as his brother pulled him into a hug.

She felt a small tug on her hand and turned to see Fred. He gave her a goofy grin and bowed low. "May have this dance my rainbow haired siren?"

"You may, my redheaded jester." Kat grinned up at him and let him twirl her onto the floor. She wrapped one arm around his neck as he slid one around her waist and allowed him to lead her around in small circles.

"You sounded amazing love."

"Thank you," Kat blushed. "Never sang in front of this many people before it was honestly nerve wrecking."

"We know," Fred smirked, "Right before you started singing your hair turned a nauseating green. George bet me ten galleons you would throw up when you opened your mouth. So thanks again, this time for my increase in allowance."

"That jerk! This was all his idea. Wait did he want me to throw up for what happened last week?"

"Probably." Fred grinned again. "But my strong, amazing _wife_ is better than him."

Kat looked at him, feeling as if her heart was going to break with the amount of love she felt for him. "I want this."

"Want what love?"

"I want a wedding, with guests and rings, and saying the words." Kat admitted quietly. "I want your name to become mine."

"Then marry me." He stopped moving and slipped his hand into his pocket. Kat gasped as Fred pulled out a small box. "Marry me Katerina, say yes and when this war is done you will have a wedding that will blow this one out of the pond." She looked down at the small blue topaz gem and closed her eyes forcing herself not to cry.

"Yes." She hadn't even finished the word when Fred pull her to him and covered her lips with his. She gave out a squeal of delight when he picked her up and twirled her around. "I love you Fred Weasley."

"And I love you Katerina Dumbledore, soon to be Katerina Weasley."

Fred had started to lower her down to kiss her when a beautiful lynx Patronus flew into the tent and stopped in the center of the dancing couples. She watched frozen as the Patronus's mouth opened and began to speak in the low baritone voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt. "The ministry has fallen. Scrimgeor is dead. They are coming."

Kat watched in horror as the guests of the wedding realized what the warning meant and began to run towards the exit of the tent. She felt Fred grip her hand and pull her but she was trying to get to her grandmother. Before she could locate her more screams ripped through the air as Death Eaters apparated into the space. "They've broken the wards! Everyone get out!" She heard Bill scream.

She saw the flash of a red dress. "Hermione! Run, get Ron and Harry and get out now!" She hexed the closest masked man to give Hermione a path to the boys. She felt a small weight lift when she saw the trio disapparate out. She heard Fred yell out to her and she turned in time to see a large unknown wizard stalk towards her his wand trained on her.

"Nice to see you again," The man growled. "My have you filled out nicely." She recognized the voice. It was the voice from that night. It was the voice that haunted her dreams when her mind forced her to remember how her innocence was ripped from her. He was the monster that killed her father. Anger surged through her. She heard her family and friends screaming, all fighting for their lives to get away from the Death Eaters who had ruined a beautiful happy time. "What the fuck is this?" The man had stopped moving.

Kat slowly walked towards the monster that had broken apart her family and who had forced her against her will. This was the creature that forced her to grow up too fast; the thing that made the war real for her. She focused her energy that was whipping around her and thought of her father, her mother, and her grandfather – those that she loved that had been stolen from her. She felt her feet leave the floor and she let out a loud roaring scream forcing her power out of her hands and using all her strength to focus it on the masked assholes who thought threatening her family was a good idea. She saw as those left in the tent stop moving and turn to her. She watched as the tables and chairs were thrown back, the dishes and instruments exploding into small pieces. Using her mind she forced the power away from her family and friends allowing them to remain unharmed. With one last scream she pushed one last surge into the frozen Death Eaters causing them to all fly through the air and collapse onto the ground in piles of unmoving limbs.

"Holy shit," George, that was George and he sounded ok. She glanced down and saw that none of the bodies on the ground were her family, her friends seemed unharmed. She felt as her body started to shake violently and her vision started to blur. She distantly heard someone yell out to catch her before everything went black.

* * *

*First song is Confident by Demi Lovato and the second is A Moment Like This by Kelly Clarkson


	17. Important Decisions

Disclaimer: The usual - I don't own it!

 **Chapter 17 – Important Decisions**

"Never do anything halfway do you love?" Fred was holding her when she opened her eyes.

"What happened? Is everyone ok?"

"Everyone got out safe." Fred smiled.

"Yeah thanks to a little psycho witch."

"Nice to see you too, George." Kat laughed. She allowed Fred to help her sit up on the sofa in the Burrow. She saw that the room was filled with Weasleys, gram, Remus, and Sirius. "So what's up guys?"

"What's up? You ask what's up after taking out nine Death Eaters by yourself without your bloody wand." George gapped at her. "Mental. Katerina you are absolutely mental."

"I wouldn't go insulting her after what we just watched." Charlie was looking at her with wonder in his eyes. "I've never seen anything like that."

"What happened to them?" Kat asked.

"We gave them over to the Aurors," Remus sighed, "Only thing we could do unless we wanted to go to Azkaban. Hate to say but they'll be back out within a few weeks if that."

"Well except one," George said but was quickly hit by Mrs. Weasley. She noticed the group shift nervously.

"How did you manage not to hurt any of us? It was like we had protective bubbles around us that everything bounced off of." Bill was staring at her as if trying to put together a confusing puzzle.

"Er – I was just focusing on protecting you all."

"Kat, what was it that set it off?" Sirius asked. "I'm grateful it did but it's never been that quick or that strong."

"I heard his voice." She whispered.

"Snape?" Fred asked.

"No," Kat sighed. "The man you yelled to me about – the one that came after me. He was-" Kat gulped and started to shake. Breathing deeply she forced herself to continue. "He was the man that k-killed my dad and r-r-raped me." She felt the tears roll down her face. Fred pulled her tighter to him.

"He'll never hurt you again. He'll never hurt anyone again."

"How do you know? If they're just going to be released again, then what's the point of this?" Kat whispered.

"Kat, honey, he's dead." She looked up at Sirius as he slowly walked to her his arms carefully held out. She noticed that the others had backed away slightly. They were obviously predicting a bad reaction from Kat.

She felt her head nod but didn't really connect to the movement. "How?" She saw as many shifted their eyes from her, trying to hide something from her. "Did I-was it my magic?"

"Yes love."

"I k-killed someone?" Her breathing was getting shallow and her heart was racing. Everyone was looking at her with concern not sure what she was going to do. She shook her head and looked at her uncle who gently nodded. "Good. He deserved to die." Before she could stop herself she leaned forward and violently vomited. "Sorry guys that's disgusting." She looked back up to the worried faces. She felt the shaking begin again and closed her eyes. "I-I think I'm going to sleep now."

As she allowed her body to protect herself from her emotions she heard Remus speak, "She's going into shock; we need blankets and lots of them."

* * *

When she finally woke back up she was lying in a bed in the twins' old room. The smell of grass, cinnamon, and broom polish filled her nose as she inhaled letting her know that Fred had been with her. She rolled over and pulled herself up into the empty room feeling disconnected and detached. She briefly glanced at the mirror over the dresser and observed her pure white hair. She shrugged, grabbed her small bag and continued to the door. She supposed she should feel alarmed that she wasn't feeling any emotion but if truth be told she was enjoying the sensation of just not giving a damn. She walked to the bathroom and cleaned herself up a bit before continuing down to the kitchen.

She should have been surprised that the kitchen was empty in a normally busy household but she just shrugged again and proceeded to make a cup of tea. She was thinking back to a conversation with Severus where he was explaining to her the dangers of keeping herself from feeling her emotions. She knew that she wouldn't be able to use her more powerful magic because that bit of magic was tied permanently to her emotions and she also knew that she'd be able to kill without regret. Kat just did not care. For the first time in a while she was able to just sit and not worry about people dying or disappearing or her stupid fucking _grandfather_ who was destroying the world.

She vaguely heard the concerned voice of Mrs. Weasley and her grandmother as they entered the kitchen but she ignored them continuing her tea. Her gaze snapped up when she realized that her grandmother was roughly shaking her. Mrs. Weasley left saying that she was going to find Fred. "Yes?" Her voice sounded dead and empty.

"Drop your shields right now Katerina," Gram's stern command made her sigh.

"Don't want to. Easier not to feel. Safer not to feel." She said matter-of-factly.

"Enough," Gram glared at her. "This is not like you Katerina and I will not accept it. You are the strongest young witch I know and I will not allow you to close yourself off from us."

"I'm a killer Gram," Kat whispered, "I'm just like him. Genetic you see. Severus was wrong, I'm just like him."

"You are nothing like Severus Snape!" Gram hissed.

"Not Severus," Kat sighed. "No, not like him. My grandfather. Did you know that mum knew who her father was?" She heard a sharp gasp. "Yup, and she kept it from us all. They all keep so many secrets. I'm not supposed to tell anyone – well I can tell you and Fred – that's what grandfather's letter said. Severus knows. I'm just like him." She said all of this with such separation that she knew she was scaring her grandmother. "Angers my trigger. I enjoy learning about blood magic. I killed someone and I feel no regret about it. I'm actually _glad_ he is dead because of me."

"Who?"

"Kat?" A hesitant voice came from the doorway. She raised her head and thought that she should be pained when Fred faltered and stepped backwards.

"Good you're here too," Kat said distantly. Putting the bag onto the table she opened it and pulled a pensive and the vial out. "You have to promise not to tell anyone – grandfather's rule. I honestly don't think it'll make much difference. You'll both understand soon and you'll both be scared of me again. Oh don't look so upset, I can see the fear in both of you. Hell most of our friends are terrified to even come near me now. They'll hate me too when they know."

"We will not hate you Katerina," Fred told her, "Now drop the bloody shields, this isn't safe."

"Oh love, it's my emotions that aren't safe," Kat pushed the pensive towards them. "You'll see why no one is safe with me." She just stared at them until finally she watched her grandmother ward the room from unwanted visitors. Fred squeezed her hand sadly and then nodded at the older woman. "Please don't hate me," she whispered as they disappeared into the memory of the day she discovered her maternal father. Kat felt like a coward because even with her shields she could not face them when they returned knowing that if they looked at her with hatred or fear she would break completely. She wrote a note telling them to remember not to tell anyone and walked out the back door. With a small glance backwards she transformed into her Shedu and ran, pumping her wings furiously and roaring as she took flight. She heard shuts of surprise but she just kept going trying to force herself not to care.

* * *

She was drunk. Plastered beyond comprehension. She giggled as she thought what her father would have said if he knew how much of his prized Odgen's Original she had drank. _I guess it's mine now._ They were probably freaking out that she was gone still but they would be safer with her gone. Everyone would have been safer if she was gone. Bloody useless she was. All she cared about were going to die.

"Nothing about this fucking makes sense," she yelled at the empty room. Severus was wrong – she was going to turn into an emotionless uncaring killing machine just like her fucking grandfather. She was happy she had killed the bastard that had taken her father. And she knew that she would kill the other two if she ever heard their voices again. She'd take their lives before anyone could stop her and she wouldn't flinch.

"FUCK!" She screamed. The alcohol finally made her lose the tight control she had on her shields and everything she kept out flooded back in making her stumble. "FUCK!" She screamed again. She walked back to the cabinet at the side of the drawing room to find more liquor and for some reason the room pissed her off. Everything looked just like it had before her life was ruined. Nothing had changed. It wasn't right that nothing was different – like her parents should walk through the door like they did every damn night after working hard. Her father would walk over to this very cabinet and make a whiskey on the rocks while her mother would sit to relax with a novel for a few minutes before going to begin dinner. She suddenly hated the room with such passion that she knew she wouldn't need her wand to destroy it all. Her magic flared and she screamed.

She smiled as the cabinet was the first to explode: glass, wood, and expensive liquor burst into small deadly projectiles. She didn't flinch when her body was sliced. Instead it just pissed her off more and she turned to the sofas forcing her magic into her mother's favorite chair, the cushioning filling the room with soft white snow and scraps of flowered fabric. She distantly felt the wards being hit but ignored it. Let the bastards come. She'd kill them all. She screamed again and joyfully turned the tables and bookcases into tinder. She looked around for anything else that offended her but saw that everything was in pieces not a single piece of unbroken furniture. The anger finally subsided and she collapsed to her knees, her breathing quick and her sobs hysterical. She didn't care that the wards were almost gone, didn't care that it was probably Death Eaters, and didn't care that they wanted her. She closed her eyes and thought of bright blue eyes, beautiful robes, a rare smile, and a life that seemed so far away from her.

Yet again Katerina Dumbledore woke up in a bed wondering how the hell she got there. She really had to stop using up her magical core. Oh Merlin why did her head hurt so much? She was positive that if she sat up she would vomit. "Would really like it if you would stop trying to kill us love," a small laugh came from beside her. She was so confused at why he was still looking at her with love in his eyes; yes there was concern and a bit of sadness but the love was the strongest. Fred passed her a small vial. "Hangover potion. I will keep you safe."

Kat took the potion and quickly tossed it back. She looked at Fred and with a heavy heart made a decision she never thought to even consider. "You aren't safe near me," Kat said sadly. "You need to break the Bond."

"WHAT? No, absolutely not! You can't do that to me Katerina!" Fred was frantic. Hearing the raised voices George and Gram ran into the room wands at the ready.

"What's wrong?" Gram asked. "What's happened?"

"She wants me to break the Bond!"

"What?" George's mouth dropped. "You can't be serious."

"He's not safe with me. I-I don't think that I'm going to s-survive this war and I w-won't allow you to die with me." Kat's body began to tremble as she looked at Fred.

Fred was still shaking his head, hands covering his face, his voice weak. "I won't do it. You aren't going to die. Do you hear me? I won't let you."

"Kat, he won't get you…" George tried.

"You know too?" Kat was horrified that George was also put into danger with knowing the information about her maternal grandfather.

"We forgot to put the damn pensive away when we ran after you," Gram whispered.

"We will keep you safe from him Kat," George told her forcefully.

"I'm not s-safe. N-not for any of y-you." Kat sobbed. "P-please Fred. Do this. You have to do this for me."

"I CAN'T! I WON'T DAMMIT!" Fred bellowed tears running down his face. George tried to put his arms around his brother but Fred shook him off.

"YOU HAVE TO! If you do it then you'll still be able to find happiness. Don't you get it? I'm not going to survive this whether it's because of _him_ or if it's due to my own bloody magic. You can't die! Please!" She collapsed back onto the bed, shaking violently. The comforting smells of her grandmother were wrapped around her and she felt her head pulled onto her chest. They were all quiet for a while as Katerina sobbed into her grandmother's robes, gram's hand gently rubbing circles on her back. When she finally back up and had the courage to look at Fred she felt her heart stop at his dark eyes.

Fred had stopped crying and was glaring at her. "Katerina Dumbledore you listen to me and you listen good. I _will not_ break our Bond and you _will not_ die in this war. We are going to help Harry take out snake-face then we are going to have the most amazing wedding the world has ever seen. We'll clean up your family house or we'll buy another one, whatever you want, and we are going to fill it to the brim with insanely smart multi-colored haired mischief-making rugrats that are going to grow up to terrorize the professors of Hogwarts. And many, many years down the road we'll peacefully pass onto the other side together, as old wrinkly stupidly in love idiots. You are my Soulmate and you will remain mine until the day I die. Do you understand me?"

Kat nodded too emotional to speak.

"Alright, now that that's been handled, let's set some ground rules." Her grandmother was still hugging her but her stern professor voice was back. "If you run off like that again, I will lock you in a heavily guarded room and you won't even be able to use the bathroom without a babysitter. Next, there will be no more firewhiskey and blowing up rooms." George laughed but looked away when his former professor glared at him. "And we need to discuss what's going to happen this year and how we want to handle the information about your _grandfather_." She said the word with an angry shudder. "First and foremost, if you ever compare yourself to that thing again I will personally hex you into next week."

"But I killed someone."

"Yes you did," Gram said seriously. "But this is war. People die and that's part of life. You did not go out and kill someone just because it might be fun. Hell you didn't even do it on purpose. You did it to protect your family and friends. Because of what you did there is one less monster in this world and I am proud of you for it."

"We all are." George said with a smile. "No one thinks less of you. May be a bit scared of how bloody powerful you are but we all still love you."

"Who knows besides us about _him_?" Fred asked.

"S-severus knows." She heard the quick gasps. "Wasn't he in the memory?"

"Didn't you watch it?"

Kat shook her head. "No, I assumed that it was the day I found out."

"Albus, the manipulating man," Gram said fondly, "Modified the memory so we couldn't see faces."

"Fred, George, Harry, Uncle Sirius, Severus and Grandfather were all there." She grinned at the shocked faces of the twins. "Severus and Grandfather oblivated everyone but themselves. I can give you my memory if you'd like though grandfather did give me a sleeping draught before the oblivations occurred. Severus told me what happened later."

"Maybe give them to us later." Gram looked worried.

"What's wrong?"

"Severus was made Headmaster and I still have my position as professor and Deputy. I had planned on returning to the school this year in order to help protect the children but we can't allow you near him."

"Do you think you can be near him without killing him, Professor?" George joked.

"Of course I can, at least until the time is right," Gram said cryptically. George stepped back wondering if his professor would actually be able to take a life of the man she worked with for so long.

"Wait, if Snape knows who Kat's related to and You-Know-Who is looking for her, why hasn't he told him yet? Why is he keeping that secret?" Fred questioned. "It makes no sense."

Kat rubbed her head and groaned. "Something isn't right about anything he does. That doesn't matter though because he's still the guy who killed grandfather, still the guy who cursed George, and still the guy who betrayed us all. Maybe the bastard just thinks it's all one giant game and he wants to be on whichever side wins. You know, give a bit to this side while giving a bit more to the other."

"Always the one to say what you truly think." George laughed.

"Gram, I think you should return to Hogwarts and protect the other children," Kat said patting her grandmother's hand. "And you're right I can't return but not because of my mother's sperm donor but because of I can't control my surges still and well, I don't think we want eleven years old telling their parents of the crazy floating lady that killed their Headmaster." George and Fred laughed while her grandmother just shook her head. "I will go with Fred and George to work in the shop just like my previous plans had been – granted I had hoped to have my Mastery done but it turns out my Master was a bit messed up in the head."

"We can have Bill and Kingsley double and triple check the wards. And she'll stay in either the flat or the workroom. If she has to leave, we'll make sure that she uses Polyjuice." Fred said wanting to make sure they chose a plan that kept Kat with him. "I promise Professor, we will keep her safe."

"I know you will Mr. Weasley," Gram patted his arm. "Never would have guessed at the amazing wizards you two troublemakers would grow up into. I'm so proud of all my little lions."

"Don't tell too many people,"

"Probably ruin our reputations,"

"Decrease of sales,"

"Poverty and playing pranks in the street."

Gram laughed and hugged Kat even closer to her. "What have you married the family into?"

Kat looked up at the grinning twins and smiled. "Something remarkable Gram. Something absolutely remarkable."


	18. The Truth Will Out - With Help of Course

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine to own.

 **Chapter 18 – The Truth Will Out – With Help of Course**

Lee had been excited to have Kat back at the shop saying that now he'd finally have someone to help him prank the twins. He complained that while Verity was an extremely nice girl she just didn't have the prankster spirit and would often give away the joke before it could happen. Kat was up for the challenge and had only been at the flat for a few days before both Fred and George were sporting lovely tails that wagged when they got excited. The twins were determined to not let Kat retreat behind her shields again and to make sure her grandmother was happy they kept her on a tightened leash. She normally would have been annoyed but she was having so much fun that she forgave them of their over-possessiveness. The months were passing by fast.

Kat was double checking the charms on a music box that she was trying to create based off a weird, metal case that Hermione had called a cd player. The thing was able to play the CDs that muggles put their music on and Kat was hoping to charm the delicately designed wooden box in front of her to slightly mimic the muggle technology. Instead of playing CDs (which she thought was extremely inconvenient as you would have to carry multiple CDs at one time and what if you didn't want to listen to just one band?), Kat was trying to charm it to play whatever song the person holding it wanted it to play, muggle or not. The process was more complex than the simple spell she used to change the radio to her liking.

The entrance to the workshop dinged and Kat glanced up to see Lee walk in holding the Prophet, his face contorted into anger and disgust. She raised an eyebrow as he threw the paper onto the workbench and was about to hex it with his wand. "Something wrong?"

"Those bloody bastards at the Ministry have taken over the Prophet as well," Lee growled. "They are ignoring the obvious attacks that You-Know-Who has committed, the multiple disappearances, the problems at Hogwarts, the laws that the ministry is trying to keep unwraps until it's too late, and just everything is absolute rubbish." He let out a sigh of discontent and walked back towards the shop. "I just wish there was something we could do about it."

Kat sighed and turned back to her work picking up the small box and turning it over in her hands. She was about to pick her wand back up to try another charm when it hit her. "LEE!" She jumped up and ran to the door pulling on the startled man's arm. She pulled him close and quickly told him her idea. He grinned back her as if she had given him Christmas early. That night they talked about their plan with the twins who both eagerly jumped onto the idea. They started to discuss the charms and spells that would be needed to make it possible and what they would want to cover. They wanted the kinks worked out before the next Order meeting that weekend.

When the meeting came, all the four young adults would say was that they had come up with a way to get the truth to the public and that the Order should spread the word to those they trusted to find a radio and point at with their wands at nine pm that Monday with the password: Potterwatch.

* * *

"Potterwatch?" Severus sneered at the portrait. "Are you sure that's what you heard?"

"Absolutely positive." Phineas Black smirked. "Stupid name if you ask me." No one knew that small portraits of the previous Headmaster had been placed in known safe houses by Albus Dumbledore himself before he had been 'killed'. It was the only way that Severus was keeping up with what was going on with the light. He had thanked the Gods when Granger had suddenly thrown the portrait of Black from Grimwald into her insane beaded bag.

That night he demanded that all staff leave him alone unless they wanted to face unpleasant consequences. He poured himself a tall glass of whiskey and pulled out the ancient muggle radio that Albus had gotten from his granddaughter as a birthday present many years prior. At exactly nine o'clock he pointed his wand at the static-filled box and growled the password. The static cleared and he was shocked to hear the voice of his former student, Lee Jordan counting to three to test the airwaves.

"Happy Halloween everyone, I would like to formally welcome you to the very first episode of Potterwatch." Lee said confidently. Severus pinched his nose wondering what the hell he was listening to. "My _colleagues_ and I have decided it was time for the public to know the truth about what is going on in our world and that is exactly what you will be hearing from us."

"That's right River," Severus groaned as he recognized a twin, "Old Snake-face and his dedicated followers have taken over the Ministry and now the Prophet. If you are anything like us, we are sure that you are tired of not knowing the truth."

"We would like to tell everyone now that this show will not be appropriate for the young ones," That was the other twin. "We plan on telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth as the muggles say. That will be including Golden Trio information, dark attacks, the many disappearances and sadly the many deaths that are being ignored by our _prestigious_ government. There will also be cursing because well in the times we live in, cursing seems like a good idea some days."

"Right you are Rapier," twin one agreed. "Now before we begin, we will turn you over to our resident genius to explain how the show works and how you'll be able to hear our seductive voices again. Now gentlemen, don't go falling in love, our Rainbow Bright is spoken for."

Severus sat up straighter as he realized the voice he was about to hear. "Thanks Prankster. We will be recording a new Potterwatch whenever we can but I do regret to say that due to life and masked dumbasses – also known as Death Eaters – constantly trying to ruin our fun we cannot promise a new episode nightly. What you can do, if you decide we are awesome –"

"Which of course you will," twin two interrupted.

"Shut it. What you can do is any night you find yourself bored and without something to do from the hours of nine to midnight simply point your lovely magical stick at the radio and say the new password. At the end of each episode we will give you a new password that is required for you to join us in the next episode." Severus hadn't realized how much he had missed the rainbowed beauty until he heard her magical voice. As she explained how the show worked he could just picture her bouncing excitedly in her seat, her hair a magnificent violet.

"Rainbow has shown her magical genius again and has charmed the show so that if you miss the night we actually broadcast you just say the password for the show you missed and it'll be like using a time-turner that doesn't have the chance to bite you in the ass." Jordan explained. "You can even repeat shows if you need."

"Now let's get to the show: We have River and Rapier here with a segment we are calling The Truth Will Out – dedicated to an amazing man who stands tall in the face of lies." Twin two sounded hoarse. Severus knew Arthur was somewhere beaming with pride. Jordan and twin one went through the realities of what was occurring with laws about half-breeds and the recent flight of the Dementors from Azkaban. They listed a disturbing amount of wizards and witches who had recently gone missing and Severus felt sick as he recognized many as former students.

"Prankster and I will be up next with our lovely peace called Friends of Potter. Any news and encouragement to our wonderful Savior and his faithful friends, the Weasel and the Know-It-All," Severus snorted at the names, knowing if the trio were listening they were more than likely pissed. "Other than saying that we hope you three are safe, we sadly have no news currently about them," Twin one added. Severus was getting annoyed that he couldn't determine which one Fred and which was George. "And now my wonderful and beautiful Rainbow," ahhh so Rapier was Fred, "has decided that in these dark and gloomy days we need something fun. Love?"

"May I welcome you to Fuck You Snake-Face." Severus burst into laughter at how serious Kat sounded. "Apologies for the name, but I've always wanted to tell _him_ that to his face and while that may seem fun at the time I'm hoping I don't ever get the chance. Everyone out there deserves some hope – well not the bastards that are causing this damn war, they deserve a dark cell in Azkaban – anyway everyone else deserves some hope especially our halfbloods and our muggleborn brethren. So each night I will be ending us with something muggle related – whether a fun fact about muggles, a small story of theirs, or a song."

"You heard that right everyone," Lee laughed. "Rapier has a way with the ladies and managed to convince the talented Rainbow to occasionally serenade your ears."

"Rapier better not have a way with the _ladies_ ," he shook his head at the hidden threat in Kat's tone.

"No, no definitely not. Just one witch for me," Fred replied quickly.

"To make sure that you all will eagerly return to us, I have tricked Rainbow into singing tonight," George added as Severus felt lightened and was excited to hear her voice again. "You see she has a horrible competitive streak and I bet Rainbow that she couldn't manage to make our lovely friend Moony blush."

"Easy money," Fred laughed. "For Rainbow of course."

"Before I start, quick muggle fact: Did you know that the most common disguises that muggle children use for Halloween are witches, vampires, and ghosts?" He could just picture Katerina's face with her violet hair as she educated the masses. "Moony, you know I love you, please don't kill me. Your first introduction to muggle music is a song called Animals, by Maroon 5."

"We hope you all have a wonderful night this Halloween," Fred said.

"The next password will be Lunar," George said with a slight giggle. "Enjoy as the lovely Rainbow sings to you to sleep."

"Stay safe friends," Lee ended.

Severus smiled as he heard Kat begin to sing, laughing when he realized what the words were implying. If only he could be there to see Lupin's face. It had to admit, the kids – young adults – had some guts. He could only hope that they had strong wards up in case the passwords got into the wrong hands.

* * *

"Have you lost your bloody minds?" Sirius Black stormed through their fireplace looking ready to kill. "What the hell are you thinking?" Kat sighed as she watched Remus and Tonks follow behind him.

"Ok, before we answer,"

"We have a question,"

"How red did Remus get?"

Kat laughed heartily as Tonks smiley brightly and Remus turned a lovely tomato color at the twins' question. "Yay! Thanks Remus, I'm five galleons richer now."

"I'll get you next time."

"Nope, I will always win. I'm just more awesome than you." She giggled when George lobbed a pillow at her head.

"Back on track," Sirius growled. "What are you thinking with this show? You are making yourselves targets."

"Uncle Siri, it's necessary," Kat said gently, "People need encouragement and they need to know the truth. They aren't getting that right now."

"And we are bloody tired of not doing anything to help," Lee added.

"Exactly, we are just sitting here waiting for something to happen when we want to help." Kat agreed.

"Though our shop is still doing amazing,"

"Which of course it would,"

"Because we are amazing."

"Will you two shut up?" Sirius pulled his hair. He turned to the quiet couple. "Dammit will you two back me up?"

"I'm proud of them," Remus said quietly, "As long as you are all being extremely safe then I will support you."

"Same here. Especially if Kat continues singing _those_ types of songs," Tonks said eyes wiggling, "Made my night. Speaking of that, we have wonderful news." Kat's eyes widened when she saw that Tonks was rubbing her stomach gently.

"Eeeeee!" She squealed rushing over to Tonks and hugging her.

"We missed something," Fred said, the other younger men stepping back.

"Tonks is pregnant!" Kat yelled. "So exciting!"

"Not the best timing, we know," Tonks said with a said look to Remus who looked like he swallowed a lemon, "But it's happened and there is no going back now."

"A baby is always a good thing," Kat glared at Remus, "Well unless of course you're still in school, then it might be a bit of a bad idea. You'll both be amazing parents."

"This calls for drinks!" George called out already heading into the kitchen.

"Are we really just going to ignore the extremely dangerous, illegal, insane show that these four are doing in their flat?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"Yes." The others all answered at the same time.

* * *

A few weeks later and they were ready for their most exciting episode of Potterwatch yet. Kat started to get out the radio and microphone and set up the chairs around the kitchen table where the group would record while the boys layered their wards heavily over the room. Kat kept going back and forth between excited that there was a spotting of the Trio and wanting to personally kill them herself for having done something so incredibly stupid. Fred laughed when he saw that she had added four glasses and a bottle of firewhiskey to the table along with their parchments containing their new information.

"Ok love?"

"Of course I am, just thought that we should celebrate a bit. Also thought that we really should have a night off for once." Kat pinched her nose as she tried not to scream. "That last search really frayed my nerves."

"I know love, I know." The night before last Ministry Aurors had conducted yet another search of Diagon Alley for the Undesirables and the boys didn't have enough time to warn Kat of their arrival. Just as the group walked into the workroom, George had loudly and deliberating tripped so that Kat could transform before the Aurors noticed her. Occluding her emotions Kat had stood as still as humanly possible as Fred quickly explained that after the announcement of a Shedu Animagus, kids of all ages were constantly asking them to develop a stuffy after the animal. George said continued with saying that he had accidentally dropped an enlarging potion on the test product. Thankfully Lee hadn't questioned them and the group eventually left the room. They tried telling Lee that Kat was just worried about them using her power surges but he didn't seem to believe them completely and would keep sending Kat worried glances.

"We all ready?" George asked?

"Wards good?" The boys nodded, so she quickly sent the spell to connect the four of them to the microphone and charmed the radio to record at nine on the dot.

"Hello Potterwatch friends!" Lee started, "Thank you all for the awesome feedback, we have heard from some reliable sources that our quest to deliver the truth is finding a warm welcome."

"That's right River," George smiled, "Almost makes me want to declare myself just so I can enjoy the attention of our lovely lady listeners."

"And somewhere out there a beautiful Quidditch chaser is planning the untimely death of our beloved Prankster," Kat grinned as George stammered.

"We would like to apologize for the delay in episodes," Fred stated, "Our _lovely_ government lackeys decided to have multiple searches this week for the Golden Trio and we've been knackered."

They quickly went through The Truth Will Out segment, "Ending with the disappearance of the Catermole family. Mrs. Catermole is a known muggleborn witch and we can only hope that the family has gone into hiding and are safe."

"Now my Friends of Potter, our exciting news for tonight: Potter and company have been spotted alive and well."

"That's right Rapier, sources have told us that the Trio was spotted just days ago in the Ministry of Magic itself."

"Bloody dumbass Gryffindors," Kat pinched her nose again.

"Insulting your own house, Rainbow how dare you!" George laughed.

"We do not know what the Trio was there for but we can only hope that they got what they were looking for and that no one was able to find them when they swiftly left." Fred added. "Know that your friends and family love you and would like to see you soon – preferably breathing." Kat snorted.

"And stop doing stupid shit," Kat growled, "Bloody savior complexes."

"And if you lovey listeners are wondering, Rainbow has had a rough week and is a bit crabby right now." George glared at her. She promptly flicked him off while Lee and Fred laughed.

"If anybody out there is wondering how Rapunzel felt I can let you know that she probably spent her days drunk and throwing stuff at the wall plotting the death of those that kept her locked away," Kat moaned. She hoped that at least one muggleborn out there got the reference as her boys were staring at her dazed. She knew that she'd have to spend that night having muggle Storytime…again.

"So…back to the show," Lee smiled, "From our sources, the break-in of the Ministry has caused quite the uproar in our government and we are hoping that Snake-Face is pissed that yet again our wonderful Trio escaped his clutches."

"I'm sure he's thrilled that a bunch of _teenagers_ are screwing up his plan to ruin – I mean – run the wizarding world." Fred said brazenly.

"Really starting to crimp his reputation," Kat laughed, "I mean true Potter is the-one-who-doesn't-die but the other is a muggleborn – with her horrible _stolen_ magic and the other a silly _blood-traitor_. Surely those _lesser_ than the Masked Dumbasses shouldn't be able to thumb their noses at him so much."

"Just shows you that blood is only that," George said seriously, "Blood. Everyone's is red."

"Password for the next episode is Polyjuice," Fred said with a smile.

"Well that's all the news folks," Lee concluded, "Now to the more important Challenge – how will Prankster lose his money this episode?"

"Actually," George looked up at Kat, "This week we are skipping the bet."

"That's right love," Kat smiled gently as an apology for her snappy attitude. "This time I thought we should celebrate how far we've come in this war and how amazing everyone who is fighting against this Dark Monster. I invite everyone to grab a glass of their favorite liquor and join us in raising your cups to the Golden Trio and those you love." The four at the table took a shot of the firewhiskey. "This song is for everyone who just wants a chance to take a break. I only slightly apologize for the language." Kat grabbed the mic and stood up. They had realized quite quickly that Kat could not sit still while singing and this decreased the chances of her upending the table. The boys also enjoyed the private concerts which usually ended up with all three of them dancing around her. Taking one last shot she started the box. She started to sway to the music, feeling it in her bones and she raised the mic to her lips.

 _We could just go home right now  
Or maybe we could stick around  
For just one more drink, oh yeah  
Get another bottle out  
Lets shoot the shit  
Sit back down  
For just one more drink, oh yeah_

 _Here's to us, here's to love  
All the times that we fucked up  
Here's to you, fill the glass  
'Cause the last few days have kicked my ass  
So lets give 'em hell  
Wish everybody well, here's to us, here's to us_

 _Stuck it out this far together  
Put our dreams through the shredder  
Let's toast 'cause things got better  
And everything could change like that  
And all these years go by so fast  
But nothing lasts forever_

 _Here's to us, here's to love  
All the times, that we messed up  
Here's to you, fill the glass  
'Cause the last few nights have kicked my ass  
If they give ya hell  
Tell em to go fuck themselves, here's to us, here's to us_

 _Here's to all that we kissed  
And to all that we missed  
To the biggest mistakes  
That we just wouldn't trade  
To us breaking up  
Without us breaking down  
To whatever's comin' our way_

 _Here's to us, here's to love  
All the times that we fucked up  
Here's to you, fill the glass  
'Cause the last few days have kicked my ass  
So lets give 'em hell  
Wish everybody well_

 _Here's to us, here's to love  
All the times, that we messed up  
Here's to you, fill the glass  
'Cause the last few nights have kicked my ass  
If they give ya hell  
Tell em to go fuck themselves, here's to us, here's to us_

Kat watched as Fred cancelled the charms on the radio and microphone. He walked over to Kat and pulled her into a tight hug whispering in her ear. George and Lee quickly pulled him away so that they could fight over who got to hug her next. The song had hit something in all of them and that night they got silly drunk, Kat carefully watching over her emotions so that she wouldn't cause anything to explode. All four were only thinking about how much they wished this was over.

* * *

*Song is Here's to Us by Halestorm


	19. Unwelcome Christmas Guest

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

 **Chapter 19 - Unwelcome Christmas Guest**

Christmas was supposed to be a time of happiness and cheer but this year it seemed to just be another day to remember all that was wrong in the world and who was missing from their celebrations. Usually the week before Christmas dinner the twins would start decorating and singing ridiculous Christmas carols, the words of the songs definitely not appropriate for young ears. This year Kat had had to force them to put up a tree and _she_ was the one singing the songs, though she was doing so without much feeling. Lee had taken the week off so that he could visit his family and George had taken to staying at the Burrow for extended times to help Mrs. Weasley. The matriarch was having a hard time having another Christmas without Percy and this time without Ron.

She was standing in the kitchen making cookies when Fred popped up from the shop. "You need to stop with bloody shields Katerina." His rough voice made her jump, wand slipping out of her holster into her hand. "Just me love. Closed the shop early, couldn't concentrate and we weren't getting many customers." He walked over to her and took her hands into his. "Drop the shields. Talk to me."

Kat took a deep breath and lowered her walls leaning forward as the intense emotions hit her. "I miss them." Kat looked up into his understanding eyes. "I miss my parents and grandfather, I miss Harry, Hermione and Ron, and I really miss my Gram."

"I know love," Fred said gently. Snape had been keeping her grandmother practically locked in Hogwarts and her caring Grandmother was scared to leave the school now that the punishments had become physical in nature. She had demanded that Katerina not come to the school to visit and she hadn't been able to make the last three Order meetings. Kat was worried about her. "This will end. I promise one way or another, this won't last forever. I predict that this time next year we will be sitting in the Burrow with everyone cheering over the first Christmas dinner without Snake-Face there to fuck things up. Bet you twenty galleons that Harry will kill him within the year."

"I bet you the same, only it won't be a year, it'll be by the summer," Kat grinned.

"That's my girl." Fred pushed her hair out of her face, "You know love, George is spending the night at the Burrow to help mum and Lee isn't set to come back until the day after Boxing Day." She grinned as his eyes darkened. "We've got the entire flat to ourselves."

"And what would you like to do about that Mr. Weasley?" Kat asked huskily.

"I seem to remember this time last year you were in a certain sweater of mine…" Fred started to lift her arms up, slowly peeling her shirt off her body. "Of course, I also remember you being naked before getting into my sweater." She laughed as he threw the shirt over his head and lifted her up onto the counter, silencing her with his lips, bruising her mouth as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She used her legs to pull him into her, moaning as he ground against her heat.

"I seem to remember a certain activity that came before the sweater," Kat ran her tongue down his neck, adding his shirt and her bra to the growing clothes on the floor. "And I'll admit I've always wanted to do this in the kitchen."

He growled as he lifted her down so that he could quickly divest of her pants and purple lacey underwear. Now that she was completely bare to him, he picked her up and moved her to the table, lying her gently down onto the surface. He gave her a sultry grin as he licked his lips, "I could go for a snack, how about you?" She moaned as he took her nipple into his mouth, gently biting it, before slowly trailing his tongue down her stomach and over her hips. Her body involuntarily lifted when he swiftly licked her wet center. She cried out as he sucked on her sensitive nub, adding his fingers to his ministrations.

"Fred! Oh Merlin," Kat was about to explode. Right as she felt like she was going to go insane from need he gave one last suck and her body shook with her release. She heard a deep chuckle as her legs squeezed his shoulders and looked down to see Fred watching her. "Thank you," she croaked. He laughed again and stood to drop his pants and boxers to the floor.

"I've always wanted to fuck you on this table," Fred growled, slowly crawling on top of her, "Just so I can watch you blush at dinner." Kat moaned with anticipation at his admission. She pulled him up so that she could ravish his mouth and used her legs to pull his hips to her entrance. With one strong thrust he was covered to the hilt and they both groaned. "Kat, I want to fuck – not make love – but hard, rough, fast fucking."

"Oh gods yes," Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as he fulfilled that promise. Many minutes later they both cried out their completion, their bodies glistening with sweat and shaking with pleasure. They laid there for some time trying to get their minds to start functioning again. Neither had heard the Floo until they heard a voice call from behind them.

"Fred? George? OH FUCK – I AM SO SORRY!"

* * *

Ron wouldn't look either of them in the eyes. It had taken Kat slapping Fred's arm for him to stop staring at his brother and put on some damn pants. Kat then offered Ron some tea while Fred sent off a Patronus message to George, asking him to return home immediately. Fred had started to ask Ron what he was doing there but Kat stopped him, saying George would be there soon and she didn't want Ron to have to repeat himself multiple times. Kat could tell that catching Fred and herself still _connected_ wasn't the only thing that was making the youngest male Weasley to look so guilty.

"What happened? Is everyone ok?" George walked quickly from the Floo. He stopped mouth open when he saw Ron. "RON?" He quickly scooped his younger brother into a strong hug. "Where's Harry and Hermione? What's happened? Are they ok? Are you ok?"

"Jeez George, calm down, and take a breath," Kat said. "Don't need you to keel over from lack of oxygen." She passed him a cup of tea and motioned for him to join them. He started to walk towards the table when Ron gagged and Kat blushed.

"Oh Merlin's hairy nut sack," George groaned, "Please tell me you didn't."

"Fulfill my greatest fantasy?" Fred asked bright eyed and cocky.

"Scar his youngest brother for life," Ron cringed.

"Y-y-you saw?" George looked to Kat's hair and doubled over laughing. "Oh Merlin, that's hilarious. But still, dammit, guys we eat there."

"So did Fred, he had quite the appetite," Kat smirked. She was sure Ron was going to be sick while Fred took his turn to laugh until tears fell. George shook his head at her.

"So?" Fred turned to Ron.

"What?"

"What's Kat look like naked?" "Why are you here?" Both twins asked. Fred took a punch at George, who dodged it laughing heartily.

"Don't think I truthfully want to answer either of those questions," Ron said shamefully. Slowly with a lot prompting, Ron told them what had happened and how bad it was going for the Trio. He told them that he still couldn't tell of the mission but it wasn't going so hot. He explained the huge blowout they had and how he had stupidly abandoned the others. "Hermione's wards are so good that I can't find them. I never should have bloody left and now I don't know if they are safe." Kat had to occlude herself so that she didn't end up harming the idiot. "The rings still work," he said daring a peek to Kat, "A few days ago I was outrunning some snatchers and the hexes just kept bouncing right off. Saved my life you did."

"You're welcome," Kat stated stonily. She enjoyed watching as Ron flinched at her toneless voice.

"How could you leave them?" Fred demanded.

"I did something stupid. I regretted it as soon as I left." Ron said softly. "I feel so sorry for doing it. You guys don't know how it is, you're home and safe, with real beds and real food."

"You think we're safe?" Kat growled. "Sure we aren't sleeping in a bloody tent but we sure as hell aren't fucking safe."

"Is there any way for you to get back to them?" George questioned.

"If I could, I would have done so. I've been trying to get back for weeks now."

"Why did you come here?" Fred asked.

"I needed to make sure everyone was alright." Ron mumbled. "In the tent I at least heard you all over Potterwatch – which is bloody brilliant – but I haven't been able to listen in since I left. I just wanted to make sure you were all still alive." They nodded at him, understanding the need to check in. "I also heard something that the Order should know."

"What's that?" Kat had finally controlled her emotions and dropped her shields again certain that she wouldn't accidentally kill the dumbass in front of her.

"You-Know-Who has place a taboo on his name," Ron looked around him, "Saying the V-name will automatically call those with Dark Marks to your location – even under the Fedilus Charm. There's something else. Something that I think may be worse. You-Know-Who is looking for someone, no one knows who, but from what I overheard from the snatchers he plans on using them as a weapon. It's someone important to him."

Kat exchanged glances with the twins and closed her emotions again swallowing down the need to vomit. Well at least now they knew why he wanted her. She saw that Ron was eyeing them suspiciously and she quickly stood up offering him something to eat, knowing that if he hadn't been eating full meals his stomach would override his doubts about the Trio in front of him. She saw Fred smirk as he understood her goal and George gave her subtle high five when she passed him. When she returned with a plate of leftovers, she heard Ron ask about Mrs. Weasley and the rest.

"Well, actually got some news for you two as well," George said motioning to Kat and Fred. "Mum's decided to go to Romania to visit Charlie this year. She's hoping that getting Ginny out of the country will keep her safer while she's not at Hogwarts."

"Not like Hogwarts is actually safe," Kat growled.

"She wants us to join them," George added.

"I can't," Ron said immediately. "I'm not staying long. Just wanted to let you all know what was happening, find out about everyone's safety, get some food and hopefully a warm bed for the night. I'm leaving tomorrow to try and find them again."

George looked at Kat and Fred who both shook their heads. "As much as I want to be around family right now, it might not be that smart to leave everything." George agreed, though they weren't thinking of the shop so much as they were thinking about Kat leaving the wards, especially since they now knew what Voldemort wanted Kat for. Kat sighed, thinking about how this Christmas was going to be a much sadder affair than normal. Maybe she could convince the boys to visit with Remus, Tonks, and Sirius – heaven knew they needed some sort of thing to look forward to.


	20. Run!

Disclaimer: No matter how many times I wish for it, it's still not my world to own.

 **Chapter 20 - Run!**

Ron had been gone for a week, Christmas had flown past and now they were starting to get back into their routine of running the shop during the day and broadcasting Potterwatch at night from their flat. Every morning they would double check the wards on the flat and on the workroom. Kat would either work with Fred or George in the workroom until lunch when they would shut down for an hour so the four of them could eat and relax together. They would return to work after which Lee would disapparate with Verity to her home. George would either stay the night with them or head over to Angelina's. He wanted to ask her to move in but George was waiting for the war to be over as Angelina wasn't an actual target unlike the Weasleys and Katerina. They would double check the wards again after Lee returned and head up to the flat to eat dinner and read the updates that would arrive by floo or owl and prepare for Potterwatch if they had enough to risk the detection hazard. They didn't always have enough to justify an episode every night. Usually the broadcast would end in Kat singing a muggle song and George trying to come up with another bet. Kat liked to joke that he should just hand over his Gringotts account, especially after she had stunned them speechless with muggle rapping. It had been easy to start to think that they were safe – or at least as safe as they could seem in these times.

All that security went out the window one night after closing when a very familiar Patronus came gliding into the workroom. The Fred and George had their backs to her working over a cauldron that had their latest creation in it taking notes on the coloring of the potion. Kat was helping Lee reorganize the product storage room. Kat dropped the box that she was carrying to the room and stared at the beautiful doe that she hadn't seen in months. She watched as the boys turned at the sound and raised their wands to the silver mammal. She couldn't breathe. It opened its delicate mouth and the deep, sweet baritone of her former friend came out.

"He knows. RUN!"

She raised her wide eyes to Fred and George, seeing identical looks of terror etched on their faces. Suddenly the shop started shaking. "Upstairs!" Kat yelled. "We need the bags!"

"What bags?" Lee screamed.

"No time to explain," George said pulling Lee up the back steps to the flat. Kat screamed as she heard the wards break and the sound of an explosion coming from the front of the shop. Fred grabbed her hand and they raced up into their flat.

"Accio Kat's bags," Fred yelled. Two bright blue travel bags came zooming out of their room and Fred clutched them to his chest.

Kat heard the bangs of the hexes hitting their flat door. She was thankful that they had thought to put separate wards on their entrances to their home. "Hurry Kat, put your damn hand on the cup," She looked up at George and nodded. She noticed how badly her hand was shaking when she reached out to touch the portkey. "Portus." She felt the familiar tug behind her navel just as their front door exploded.

* * *

Severus Snape hated his life. He hated the role he had to play in this war. He hated the choices he had made as a stubborn, idiotic hate filled teenager. He hated that he had lost his only friend in years. He especially hated how much danger she was in and the fact that he could not protect her. Thanks to Phineas Black he was able to listen to Potterwatch and hear her voice to know that she safe. Listening to her singing would bring him comfort and hope even though he knew that she still thought of him as the bastard that betrayed her.

"Minerva, I have to leave for the night," He sneered at the woman. "Keep your little cubs under control."

"Yes _sir_." He knew that if Minerva could get away with it she would kill him and not regret it. Merlin how he wanted to just tell her that Albus was really alive and that he was doing all of this for them. That he wasn't really the bad guy but he knew he couldn't and he had already come to terms with the fact that he would not survive this war. He rubbed his face and returned to his quarters and prepared himself to spend yet another evening catering to pure evil. Sending a silent prayer to gods he wasn't sure even existed he pulled up his shields and disapparated to Malfoy Manor.

"Ah Ssservus, good of you to join ussss," Voldemort hissed. Severus walked up to his throne and bowed low waiting respectfully for the Dark Lord to allow him to stand. "Come ssstand next to me. I've have been informed that one of my lower followers hasss discovered ssssomething pleasing."

"That is good news my Lord," Severus nodded. He took the space next to the right of the Dark Lord trying to ignore the hissing snake coiled at the feet of Voldemort. He forced himself not to flinch or step back when the Dark Lord patted his shoulder in welcome.

"Bring in the man." He commanded.

The man that walked into the room held his head up high with an arrogance that would put Luicus Malfoy to shame. He was wearing tailored dress robes with shining dragonhide boots, his dirty blonde hair perfectly combed. Severus thought that he had the air of a high-end ministry worker. He stepped in front of the Dark Lord and bowed low. "My Lord," his raspy voice filled with reverence.

"Ssstand. I have been told that you have information that I would like to hear. I hope it is ssssomething important as I do not like to have my time wasssted."

"Yes, my Lord. You see I have obtained a job in the Ministry as an Unspeakable." Severus forced his shields up harder praying that what this man said next wasn't what he thought. "I heard a very interesting story about a beautiful Unspeakable that played with time and got stuck in the past." Oh Merlin Severus was going to throw up.

"And why would I care about an idiot witch?" The Dark Lord demanded.

"Well you see, my Lord, her name was Aanka Black, the pureblood daughter of Orion and Walaburga Black. I began to research her more and discovered many interesting things about her." The man explained carefully. "There are stories of her having unbelievable power that _surged_ when she was angry or in trouble. She had hair that would change to the different colors of a rainbow based on her emotional state. She supposedly went back in time on a mission and got stuck twenty years in the past. She disappeared around the same time as your mystery lover. Rumor has it that the witch was _two months pregnant_ by an unknown wizard."

"You've found her?" Bellatrix asked with a jealous lit to her voice.

"No not the daughter." The man shook his head and look at the Dark Lord. "I don't want to be the one to tell you this but your overzealous friends have already killed Aanka's child."

"WHO?" Voldemort roared his wand now aimed at the trembling man.

"Julia Katherine Black Dumbledore." Severus raised his eyebrow as Bellatrix started to violently shake when she heard the name, her eyes wide with terror. He began to wonder if the sadistic witch had been one of those sent to kill Wulfric and his wife. "My Lord, she has a daughter as well, one with rainbow hair and power surges that are stronger than even Aanka's. From my sources I have found that she is the witch that caused the mayhem at the wedding of the blood-traitors last summer."

"You have my thanks for telling me this. I promise you will get your just rewards my friend." Voldemort smiled. Severus felt his heart crashing against his ribcage. He had to get to her, he had to warn her. She had to live. "Severus, return to Hogwarts, I will call you when you are needed again."

"And the girl, my Lord?"

"I will deal with her." Severus felt sick at what would possibly pass as a smile if snakes could smile. Severus had to grit his teeth and dig his fingernails into his palms to control himself enough not to run out of the house. He had a role to play and he had to play it correctly. As soon as he got back to his quarters he quickly produced his Patronus and sent a quick warning to Katerina and prayed that she would believe him.

* * *

When she had finally stopped moving she fell to her knees and voided her stomach of everything she had eaten that day. Her entire body was shaking and she felt so cold.

"Come on Kat, let's get inside," Fred was pulling her up into his arms. Kat looked up to see The Den where Remus, Tonks, and Sirius lived. They started to walk towards the house when yet another Patronus appeared, this one a wolf, and Bill's voice let them know that there was an attack on the Burrow. The house had been completely destroyed but their parents had gotten out safely. Kat felt her body sway and she quickly bent over getting sick once again. "Fuck."

"Kit-Kat, you need to pull it together," George said. "No one was hurt in either attack."

"What the fuck is going on?" Lee demanded loudly. "Why the fuck were we attacked? And why the fuck was it Snape that warned us?"

"That's a lot of fucks out there," Sirius had come out his wand pointed at them. "What's my other name?"

"Padfoot."

"Dog." Kat and the boys said at the same time.

"Kit-Kat that is not nice," Sirius laughed. "Come inside." They followed him up the path to the small cottage near the woods. Sirius opened the door and waved them in. "Hey Moony, Tonks, we've got some company."

Remus and Tonks quickly appeared in the small kitchen. Tonks took one look at Kat and immediately started making some tea. "What's happened?" Fred, George and Lee explained the attack at the store and Fred mentioned Bill's Patronus about the attack on the Burrow. "Oh Gods, do you know why they suddenly attacked?"

"Yes," Kat's small voice was shaking. "Me."

"What do you mean you?" Remus asked with confusion.

"You-Know-Who wants me."

"Why the fuck does he want you?" Sirius yelled.

"I-I'm his g-g-granddaughter." Kat cried. She looked up at the shocked faces. "He wants me because I'm his granddaughter and he wants my power." Slowly she explained as best as she could what she knew of her maternal grandmother.

"No, no, no," her uncle backed up until he was against the wall. "Aanka…that's why she went back. It wasn't a fucking mission." Kat shook her head sadly. "FUCK! If Regulus was still alive I would tear the bloody bastard to pieces!"

"Well you'll just stay here then," Tonks said trying not to trip as she carried the kettle over. "Merlin knows I need some girl time." She sat down smiling rubbing her ever growing stomach.

"We can't!" Kat exclaimed. "We can't put you and the baby at risk. We'll stay the night sure but tomorrow we have to leave."

"No! He is out there looking for you, you'd be safer here." Sirius growled.

"Uncle Sirius, I will not put Tonks at risk and I won't ask any of you to risk your lives for me either. They can all stay but tomorrow I leave."

"You aren't going anywhere without me," Fred snapped.

"Or us," Lee and George agreed.

"Fucking stubborn Gryffindors." Sirius pulled his hair, knowing the group would not listen to him.

"How did you get out in time?" Remus asked.

"Severus fucking Snape." Kat said.

"Snape?!" Sirius and Remus looked baffled. "What the hell is he playing at?"

"Have no idea." Kat whispered. However, deep in her heart, she thought she understood. That little part of her that told her that Severus wasn't the real bad guy in all of this and that somehow she should still trust him. She knew that if she said it out loud everyone would think she'd finally gone round the bend so she kept it locked away in her mind. She felt detached as she helped Tonks make up beds for everyone and as Fred wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his body, Kat couldn't help but think of a muggle children's story and the astronomy tower at Hogwarts. Why did her very soul tell her to trust him?

* * *

Severus Snape was going to destroy the whole bloody castle if he didn't hear some sort of confirmation about the whereabouts of Katerina. Every night as soon as it struck nine he was pointing his wand at the old radio and whispering the password, praying that that would be the night the static was replaced by voices. It had been four days since the attacks on the Burrow and the Weasley boys' shop. He knew by the deaths of multiple fellow Death Eaters that both attacks had been unsuccessful. While grateful that the Dark Lord had not captured Katerina yet Severus was still very anxious for news on where she had gone and if she was safe. That morning at breakfast had been the worst when he had heard the straggled cry coming from Minerva who had just received her morning paper.

Plastered to the front was a picture of the beautiful rainbow haired witch under the title of Undesirable Number Two. The Prophet had decided (more likely commanded) to actually tell the truth about why Katerina was wanted (though they did not admit that they would hand her over to the Dark Lord, they said they only wanted her for _questioning_ ). It placed emphasis on her relationship with Fred Weasley and their completed Bond making sure the public knew that if one died so did the other. Severus knew this was added so that people would not kill Fred when the redhead undoubtedly protected his love. He watched as students became irrational over the news, the Gryffindor table going up into complete chaos. The reward for bringing her in, _alive_ , was almost as much as bringing in Harry himself.

That night Severus pointed at the radio and when the static sounded he had raised his wand to blow the bloody thing up when he heard it, a deep cough and a muttered curse. His heart stopped, hoping that the Potterwatch group would start talking.

"Bloody hell, everyone, don't know about your week but ours has been a bit rough," Jordan stated, forgoing any comforting welcomes.

"We are forgoing the actual segments and just going to talk because well, we aren't where we usually are and we won't be staying for long," He had been listening to their episodes over and over so many times he now knew George from Fred.

"That's right Prankster." Fred's voice was extremely hoarse. "Four days ago the Burrow, home to Arthur and Molly Weasley was attacked, and we here at Potterwatch are extremely happy to say that while the crazy multi-leveled home was completely destroyed, both Molly and Arthur got out safely. Their youngest child, Ginerva Weasley, had thankfully returned to Hogwarts that morning." Severus winced as he heard Fred's voice crack.

Jordan took over where Fred could not finish. Severus slammed his hand onto the desk as Katerina had yet to make a sound. "Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, the astounding store of Fred and George Weasley was attacked and destroyed by a group of _his_ followers at the same time as the attack on the Burrow. Thankfully it occurred at night and there were no patrons in the store at the time. We have it from _very_ _good_ sources," Severus snorted, "that Fred, George, their amazing friend Lee Jordan and the beautiful Katerina Dumbledore escaped unharmed." Severus sighed a breath of relief as he heard what he had been hoping for. She was ok.

"This morning the _Prophet_ ," George said with such disgust that Severus could almost feel the hatred. "Released information about Miss Dumbledore and her maternal _grandfather_."

" _Sperm donor_." The tears he had been trying to hold back fell as he heard the raspy voice of Katerina. "I know that Katerina does not recognize her blood relationship to that creature."

"Yes Rainbow," Lee agreed. "This goes to show once again that _blood_ means nothing."

"We would like to pass on a message to those wanting to cash in on the reward for the capture of Miss Dumbledore," George growled. "Do not bother trying, you _will_ die."

"That's right Prankster," Fred said deeply, "Miss Dumbledore is said to be under the protection of three extremely talented men and while we do not know of their location, we can say with sincerity that if you touch her, you will certainly wish you never even heard her name." Severus felt pride for the lions that were guarding the young woman.

"And they will have no problem using those dumb enough to try as a sign to others who want to have a go as well." Lee added. Severus was curious as to why Katerina was remaining so quiet. Usually she was happily joking with the boys and making fun of them.

"Seeing as we don't have too much time left we would like to inform our listeners for the time being our episodes may be a bit more infrequent due to _location_ issues." George sounded stressed. "We hope that everyone is safe tonight. Next password is The Burrow."

Severus assumed that was the end until a small voice spoke up. "I have one last message to send though I'm not sure it will reach the desired ears. 'Dreams do come true, if only we wish hard enough. You can have anything in life if you will sacrifice everything else for it.'" Severus stopped moving as he recognized the words from Peter Pan trying to understand why she had said them. "Thank you for teaching me to fly. And if you are hearing this know that this song is for you." His heart hurt as he heard the small sob and the soft music begin to enter the room.

 _There was a time when I was alone  
Nowhere to go and no place to call home  
My only friend was the man in the moon  
And even sometimes he would go away, too_

 _Then one night, as I closed my eyes  
I saw a shadow flying high  
He came to me with the sweetest smile  
Told me he wanted to talk for awhile  
He said, "Peter Pan, that's what they call me  
I promise that you'll never be lonely, " and ever since that day_

 _I am a lost boy from Neverland  
Usually hanging out with Peter Pan  
And when we're bored we play in the woods  
Always on the run from Captain Hook  
"Run, run, lost boy, " they say to me  
Away from all of reality_

 _Neverland is home to lost boys like me  
And lost boys like me are free  
Neverland is home to lost boys like me  
And lost boys like me are free_

 _He sprinkled…_

 _He sprinkled me in pixie dust and told me to believe  
Believe in him and believe in me  
Together we will fly away in a cloud of green  
To your beautiful destiny  
As we soared above the town that never loved me  
I realized I finally had a family  
Soon enough we reached Neverland  
Peacefully my feet hit the sand  
And ever since that day_

 _I am a lost boy from Neverland  
Usually hanging out with Peter Pan  
And when we're bored we play in the woods  
Always on the run from Captain Hook  
"Run, run, lost boy, " they say to me  
Away from all of reality_

 _Neverland is home to lost boys like me  
And lost boys like me are free  
Neverland is home to lost boys like me  
And lost boys like me are free_

 _Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Wendy Darling  
Even Captain Hook, you are my perfect story book  
Neverland, I love you so  
You are now my home sweet home  
Forever a lost boy at last_

Severus didn't realize he had fallen out of his chair as he listened to the softly sung melody about Peter Pan and knew in his broken heart that she was thanking him. That night and many nights to come he would constantly replay the song, using it as a source of hope for what he was being forced to do. Even though she belonged to someone else, she would be the reason to end this war so that she could live the life he had been denied.

* * *

*Song is Lost Boy by Ruth B.


	21. A Granddaughter Captured

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine - no matter how wonderful that would be.

 **Chapter 21 – A Granddaughter Captured**

They had been traveling for just a couple of weeks now and Kat was already beginning to go insane. Living with three boys in the woods was going to make her lose whatever sanity she still possessed. Even though it had been her idea not to stay at the safe house after the close call at Aunt Murial's after the first week had driven them nuts in order to keep everyone else safe she was now wondering why she had agreed to "camping" with the boys instead of finding a nice lovely flat somewhere. George was constantly whining about not seeing Angelina or being bored, Lee was always complaining about the weather or accidently causing them to move to another location due to walking outside the wards, and Fred, as amazing as he was, would not stop getting up her butt about everything. He was worried about her grandfather finding them, he was worried that they were risking too much when they continued to do their radio updates, and he would not stop bugging her about why she still trusted Severus even though she honestly could not explain it herself. She was starting to regret telling him why she had chosen that song and who she was sending it out to. It didn't help that they did not get much time alone and when they did finally get some both Lee and George would torment them.

She was currently trying to hide from all three of her unexpected campmates before she was forced to kill one of them. She knew that she would eventually regret hurting any of her best friends so it was best for all of them for her to occasionally escape away. Right now she was relaxing next to the stream next to their camp surrounded by books. She was currently researching a way to manipulate a concealment charm into an inanimate object so it would project the concealing across a distance. She was hoping that she would be able to project the charm over multiple people at one time. If she got it right then the box would be focused on one person's magical signature and that person would have control on who else saw them. Otherwise the person or the group would appear to be a very flowery bush.

"What are you working on?" Kat looked up and smiled when she saw the goofy grin of the man she loved. Fred plopped down next to her and grabbed the top parchment.

"Something for the shop."

"You're still working on things for the shop?" He looked at her questionably.

"Of course I am, silly," Kat smiled at him, "When this is all over we are going to return home and you and your brother will open the shop back up bringing laughter and happiness to the masses again. And we will obviously need things to sell when we get back. Something new they haven't seen yet. This I am planning for the Golden Trio in particular because we all know once they succeed they will have a ridiculous amount of fans."

"You are absolutely amazing." Fred put the parchment back down and leaned towards her his arms wrapping around her waist as he pulled her into a passionate kiss. Shivers went down her spine and she moved closer to him. Putting her hands into his hair, she straddled his thighs and pushed her hips into his lap. She smiled against his lips when she heard the small groan escape him as he cupped her butt with both hands and pulled her closer. She rocked her body forward and moaned when she felt his hardness press into her. He began to move her shirt up and she lifted her arms so he could slide it off. He lowered his mouth to her covered nipple and teased her with his teeth. He used one hand to undo the clasp on her bra throwing the offensive material behind him.

"Fred, oh Merlin, Fred," Kat threw her head back and closed her eyes, thrusting her hips even harder against him. "I want you."

She heard him growl and suddenly she was on her back, the grass warm against her skin, with him moving above her. Holding himself up with one hand while his other hand began to slip towards her jeans as he brought his lips back to hers. He had the button and zipper undone, his fingers just starting to slip under her knickers when a loud voice called out.

"Oi! You can't do that crap in public!"

With a small squeal Katerina popped up and grabbed for her shirt as Fred jumped in front of her half naked body. Standing in front of them with amused grins were Lee and George. George was trying not to look at Kat but Lee gave no concern to it, his eyes getting even wider. Kat quickly turned around so that she could put her bra and shirt back on, her cheeks burning hot.

"Dammit George, why'd you have to interrupt them? Could have had a little entertainment for a bit." Lee grinned even bigger.

"As gorgeous as Kat is, I do not want to see my brother naked." George grimaced. "Not to mention, I'm sure he is about to kill you for seeing Kat like that."

"What do you two want?" Fred growled.

"Hey don't get mad at us for coming, your girl is the reason we came out." Lee put his hands up in defense.

"What?"

"Fred, I told you yesterday, this is a great place to look for certain ingredients I need for the potion I'm working on. You didn't want me to go alone and then that went on to create a fight and so I decided to ask Lee and George to come with me." Kat felt her hair spark. "I actually forgot that I was pissed at you. Dammit you're good."

"I love seeing you so flustered." Fred wiggled his eyebrows.

"Shut up."

"Oi lovebirds, you're making me sick, please stop before I have to wash my eyes."

"Anyway, we need to leave the wards for a bit to get to where the plants should be, so we should leave quickly before it gets dark." Kat started to clean up her books and parchments.

"What? You aren't leaving the wards. Absolutely not!"

"It's not that far away and I can't exactly pop into the nearest apothecary and get what I need." Kat reasoned.

"Then we move camp and change the wards." Fred said stubbornly.

"Fred, we are not moving camp for what should only take two hours, I like where we are and it won't take long." Kat moved closer to him and took his hand. "I promise everything will be fine."

"This isn't necessary. This can wait until the end of the war." Fred frowned.

"No, I'm going crazy just sitting around doing nothing for the war. We can't do mail order right now, you won't let me go to the Order meetings, and you will only let me be on a few Potterwatch shows and that's only if I nag. I need to do something and this is something that will keep me from killing all of you." Kat smiled at him and when she saw his eyes lighten she knew that she had won.

"Now, if you two are done, can we get to it?" George looked slightly bored.

"Unless, of course, you want to finish the show." Lee looked suggestively at the two of them and then threw his arms up to protect himself when Fred threw a rock at his head.

They had been walking for a bit with Kat showing them different ingredients that she wanted collected. It was a bit frustrating as she had to explain exactly how to locate, cut and preserve the clippings each time she found another plant. Eventually the boys got bored and started to duel each other. She made sure that they knew not to say the V-word and went off by herself to get the last of what she required. She was currently cutting some fresh juniper leaves when she heard the crack of an apparition. Kat quickly looked up when it was followed by multiple other cracks. She heard yelling and saw the colors of multiple spells in the clearing that the boys had been in. Dropping the basket she was holding she grabbed her wand and ran. She saw at least five new people throwing hexes at the twins and Lee.

"Kat!" Fred's eyes widened when he saw her running towards them. "Run!"

"Stupify!" She yelled, running towards the cloaked figures.

"No! Kat get out of here!" Fred looked terrified. Suddenly Lee was thrown onto the ground, ropes wrapping around him. George was taken out next and she watched in horror as Fred was thrown backwards. _Oh gods the rings aren't working anymore._ Kat didn't know if it was because they had broken or because Severus had finally told them how to get past the protections on them.

"Fred!" Three of the cloaked men each grabbed one of her men, relieving them of their wands.

"Stop right there." The largest of the group was pointing his wand at her. "Stop or they die." She gasped when she saw a red line starting to form against Fred's neck. She immediately stopped moving but she felt her hair beginning to spark. She heard an evil laugh begin. "Oh my day is getting better and better. Boys, not only did we find some blood-traitors but we found _her_."

"What are you talking about Greyback?"

"Look at her hair, you idiot," growled the werewolf. "Who has the Dark Lord been looking for with such beautiful hair? We will be greatly rewarded for bringing you in my sweet."

"You will not touch her!" Fred yelled. "I'll kill you first!"

"And how will you do that? Crucio." The screams that came from Fred tore her apart and she felt his pain through the Bond. She was close to blacking out when the spell was finally released.

"FRED!"

"Stop little lady, we know all about your power surges. They will be dead before you can even move."

"What do you want?" Kat cried.

"We will be taking you back to the Dark Lord of course."

"NEVER!" Fred screamed, trying to wrench himself from the man holding him back. He was rewarded with a harsh punch to the stomach.

"We might not be able to kill you," Fred looked at the werewolf in surprise, "Yes the Dark Lord knows about the Bond and I have no death wish, but even though we can't kill you, we can easily kill the other two with you."

"No!" Kat stepped forward. "Please don't hurt them."

"What will you give me, sweet?"

"I'll come with you." Kat said softly.

"WHAT?"

"NO!"

"KAT YOU CAN'T!" All three boys yelled in alarm at her. They were silenced by a wave of a wand.

Kat took a deep breath and stepped closer. "Let them live and I will come with you without fighting." She would not let Voldemort near her boys, especially near her Fred.

"Deal. Grab her." Greyback pointed to the remaining man with him.

"Wait." Kat held up her hand and stepped back. "Let me say goodbye to them first please."

"Your wand first. And an Oath that you will not use your other powers against us." Kat stepped closer to the werewolf, knowing that she could not let them be harmed. She didn't think that she could control her magic enough to get the men holding the boys so closely and not hurt them as well. Closing her eyes, she handed the disgusting man her wand and turned towards the boys.

"I can't say goodbye if they cannot speak." She was amazed at how calm her voice sounded. She knew what she had to do to protect him and in order to do so she had to close off all emotions. Tears were rolling down his cheeks when she stood in front of him, George and Lee both trying to stop her from going with them. "Please stop."

"You can't do this Kat, please don't do this to me." Her heart broke when she heard his voice.

"I can't let you all die."

"But I'll die anyway if he decides to kill you. I can't be without you." Kat saw that both Lee and George had tears in their eyes as well.

"You'll live. And eventually you'll forgive me." She heard George gasp and she looked over at him. She knew by his face that he realized what she was about to do. Fear, sadness, and admiration were in his eyes. She gave him a small nod and looked away before she could start to cry. Forcing her shields around her tighter she looked back into the beautiful blue eyes that she had fallen so hard for. "I love you so much Fred Weasley." She felt her shield start to falter. "Please forgive me."

"Forgive you? Kat?"

As Kat pressed her lips to his, she took his hand pressing a small round object into his palm and then stepped backward. "I love you. I will always love you. I'm so sorry. I can't let you die." She glanced at George and Lee. "Take care of him for me. I love you both." Taking a deep breath she put her wandhand to her Bond tattoo and spoke. "I, Katerina Arianna Dumbledore, swear upon my magic that I rescind this Bond to you, Frederick Gideon Weasley." No matter how hard she held her shields she couldn't keep the tears from racing down her cheeks.

"NO! NO! Don't, you can't, Katerina don't!" Fred was frantic trying to get to her. She closed her eyes and tried not to race back into his arms. Suddenly rough hands wrapped around her arms and she heard Lee and George begin to scream. She watched in horror as one of the men hexed Lee and another punched Fred who was hysterical, trying to get to her.

"Stop! You said you wouldn't hurt them! Stop it!" Kat was clawing at the arms pulling her backwards.

"I said I wouldn't kill them. Let's go meet your grandfather."

* * *

"Fred…"

Fred thought he heard a familiar voice calling to him but it didn't make sense. How could he hear Bill? He was in the woods with Lee and George and… "Kat!" He yelled, jerking straight up into a sitting position. Frantically he looked around, looking for her. He instead saw a surprised Bill and a very exhausted George sitting next to the bed he was laying in. Then he remembered everything that had happened and he slowly looked down to his Bond. He didn't realize he had even cried out until George was wrapping his arms around him. The Shedu wasn't moving. It was still and black, the emptiness in his heart suddenly making sense. "No, no, no…" He didn't even try to hold back the tears.

"She did it to save you." George was whispering to him through his own tears, trying to calm him down. "She still loves you, she is still yours. She did it to keep you alive."

"I'd rather be dead then without her."

"We will win this war and then you will be back with her. I know it hurts, I know how hard this is but just remember she loves you."

"Fred, everyone who has ever seen Kat with you, knows that you are the love of her life," Bill said, a sad smile across his face. "She is also one of the scariest witches I know. She will survive and she will be back to you. Be proud of the amazing woman you have."

"But that's just it. I don't have her anymore." The tears came back and he closed his eyes, sobbing against his brother's shoulder. George just held him tightly and began to slowly rock Fred back and forth. Just before he gave into sleep, he heard George whisper, "We will get her back, or we will die trying."

* * *

Ron had been back for a few weeks and Hermione was still upset at him. Harry was exhausted from the constant back and forth between the two and wished that they would either just kiss or hex each other and get over it. They were still unsure of where to go next and as happy as he was to have been rid of the locket, he was growing more and more frustrated that they didn't have a clue as to the next location of another horcrux, hell they still didn't even know what the next one would be.

"Harry?" He turned to the soft voice of Hermione. "It's time for Potterwatch."

Harry stood and followed Hermione back into the tent, sitting down next to Ron at the table while Ron turned the radio on and spoke the password. Suddenly the very sad voice of George Weasley floated into the air.

"Good evening everyone. Tonight's episode is going to quite short and we apologize for that. It is with extreme sorrow that we announce the kidnapping of our Rainbow Bright."

"Oh god no," Hermione sobbed, her hand going to her mouth. Ron stared at the radio as if begging it to be a joke.

Lee Jordan's voice was just as broken, "Two days ago we were overtaken by a group of what can only be described as monsters and Rainbow was stolen from us. The b-bloody Gryffindor gave herself up to s-save us. Our own Rapier was seriously injured in the fight but he will thankfully live."

"Until Rapier is feeling better, our friend Demi-Wolf will be helping River and I with Potterwatch. There is no other news tonight. Please, we beg you, if you meet our Rainbow, please bring her back to us." Harry tensed as he heard George's voice crack. "Rainbow, if you can hear this, Rapier needs you to come back. He can't do this without you."

"To beasts that took her from us, _when_ we find you, we _will_ kill you." Lee promised.

"Next password will be Soulmate. Keep safe everyone." And after the shortest Potterwatch episode the radio went back to static. He looked at Ron who looked extremely pale and then glanced over at Hermione, who was rocking back and forth, sobbing into her arms.

"This is bad." Ron said quietly, getting up to put an arm around Hermione's shoulders. Harry couldn't help but agree. The only person that Voldemort wanted just as much as Harry was Katerina and he now had her. Harry was worried that they weren't going to win this war.

A far distance away, a radio was being thrown against a stone wall while a man in black with a large hooked nose collapsed to the ground, tears staining his robes.

* * *

It had been two weeks since Katerina had been taken. At the request of Bill and Fleur, the three boys had decided to stay at Shell Cottage. Every night they continued to do their radio show with Bill as an occasional addition and every night they ended it the same way.

"And if, my beautiful Rainbow Bright can hear this, wherever you are, I love you and I will not stop looking for you. Everyone be safe."

Tonight Shell Cottage was the meeting place for the Order and Fred was not looking forward to seeing everyone. They had seen McGonagall shortly after Kat had been taken and his heart broke when he when the strongest woman he had ever known started to sob, her tear-jerking cries echoing in his ears. He had quickly left the room and locked himself in his room, only coming out when he needed food or the bathroom. Doing the radio show was the only thing that kept his hopes up and that was only because he would imagine her listening to them. Tonight they were supposed to tell the rest of the Order what had happened and hopefully someone would have helpful information about her location. Just thinking about her made his chest tighten and he couldn't breathe easily. He had slowly come to terms about what she had done and why she had done it, as much as he hated to admit it, he would have done the same thing to save her life but it still hurt. Bill had found books on the Bond and they thankfully said that the Bond could be resealed as long as both involved honestly wanted it. He kept from sinking into a deep depression by constantly telling himself that he would find her and they would reseal The Bond.

With a deep sigh, Fred pushed himself off the bed and slowly wandered downstairs to the living room. It had been magically enlarged to accommodate The Order. They had been alternating locations for Order meetings to decrease the chance of detection. He sat down next to Lee and George, not bothering to look at anyone else. Slowly the room was filled with people, all who wore sad expressions. A throat was cleared and Fred looked up to see Remus standing in the center of the room. No one had been able to decide who would replace Dumbledore as leader and it seemed that Remus was unhappily taking the reins.

"Alright everyone, let's get this started. I hate to say it, but I have had to give up on getting the werewolves on our side. You-Know-Who has promised them too much and they will not listen to me. I cannot continue to try and infiltrate their packs anymore as it has become too dangerous," Remus rubbed his eyes. "Arthur and Kingsley, have any news from the ministry?"

"Well, I won't be able to help you anymore with that," his dad said sadly. "I've been released from my job position for the time being." Fred's mum had mentioned that when she had brought them food the other day. It was yet another way to get the blood-traitors out of the way.

"The ministry is completely under his control." Kingsley said, standing. "They have been taking the wands of muggleborn witches, snapping them, and sending them to Azkaban. Not much else has changed except the amount of the reward for bringing in the Trio."

Remus nodded and turned to McGonagall. "Minnie, news of the school?"

"The same as before with more students disappearing though from what I've managed to gather they are hiding somewhere in the school that is offering them protection. Our little lions though, you would be so proud of them if you could see them. Neville Longbottom is giving the Carrows a run for their money." She said it with such pride, Fred was amazed.

"Longbottom?" George was just as surprised.

"Yes, George, Longbottom. War causes you to grow up much faster than you should." Minerva's face fell. "Severus," the name was said with such disgust that Fred flinched, "is allowing the Carrows to use old punishments to discipline the children. The older students have come to support the younger ones. You would be amazed at what your sister has been up to."

"Ginny?" Fred looked up. "How is she?"

"She is surviving. She is one strong, powerful witch."

"She always has been," George said with a small smile.

"Next," he watched as Remus closed his eyes and pinched his nose, "Has anyone heard anything about Katerina and her whereabouts?" Both his mum and Minerva let out small sobs, though Minerva was able to get herself under control quicker than his mum who had to leave the room. He watched as Bill followed her to provide some comfort. He felt a weight pressing on his chest as he realized that no one had answered Remus.

"What about Fred?" Sirius asked, "He is her Soulmate, why hasn't he used that to find her?" He glared at Fred with palpable rage. "You need to find her."

"I can't." Fred whispered.

"What? Why the hell not? I know for a fucking fact that you Bonded with her." Fred held up his left arm at Sirius who stopped talking but only for a second. "WHY THE FUCK DID YOU BREAK THE BOND?!" Suddenly he had an extremely mad animagus rushing at him. He saw George and Lee jump in front of him and Remus wrapped his arms around Sirius, using his werewolf strength to hold him back.

"I DIDN'T BREAK IT! SHE DID!" Fred was suddenly standing, screaming at the enraged wizard. "She did it…" Just as fast as the anger came, it left, leaving him dizzy and weak.

"Why? Why would she do that?" Charlie asked surprised concern on his face.

"She didn't want him to die." George answered softly. "The only way that Fred would survive if You-Know-Who decided to k-kill Kat was if she rescinded the Bond and so that's what she did. She wouldn't let him d-die too." Fred had quietly started to cry, not caring how many people were in the room looking at him with such grief.

"She's a strong witch, she will survive this." Remus said to one in particular but no one in the room seemed to believe it.


	22. Escape from Malfoy Manor

Disclaimer: Still not my characters.

 **Chapt** **er 22 – Escape from Malfoy Manor**

She had been here for weeks or maybe it was months, she didn't know anymore. She was so very tired. When they had first arrived at Malfoy Manor Katerina had been instantly taken in front of Voldemort. While he was impressed with her magical strength she had proven to be too much like her other grandfather and her father in her beliefs. She couldn't wait to tell the boys that she finally made her dream come true and how infuriated the snake-faced man had become. Voldemort had been so pissed when she told him to "Go fuck yourself" that he had use so much power on his curse that her protection ring had broken within seconds.

To make sure there were no other magical protections upon her and to help break her more all jewelry was ripped off of her and her wand was snapped. He had decided that she would be tortured every few days until she was either too broken to be of use, after which he would kill her right in front of the members of the Order, or until she came over to the "correct" side of the war. On the days where she wasn't being attacked, she was so heavily drugged that she could not access her magical stores. The first time she had seen the green potion she instantly remembered the memory of her grandmother. What good was she being so powerful if she could never use her power when it mattered? Thinking of Fred was the only thing that kept her going – she had to get back to him.

Not many people were informed of her arrival at Malfoy Manor. Apparently the men who had kidnapped her had been oblivated of their memories of her capture and location. She had been semi-conscious when Voldemort had made Bellatrix, Narcissa and Lucius take Unbreakable Vows stating they would not disclose her location or identity. Voldemort was taking all precautions against the Light finding out of her location therefore keeping chances of her rescue being impossible. He did not want her being rescued before he had her loyalty and power for himself.

"Crucio!" Kat pulled her shields closer to her mind. She still felt the intense pain and she could still feel her body breaking but the occlumency was keeping her from losing her mind to the agony. She could see the body of Bellatrix standing over her, walking around her as she brought more pain to her.

"Bella?" Kat sighed as Bellatrix released the spell as Narcissa walked into the room. Narcissa seemed stressed. "Could you please stop for the evening? Draco has returned for the Spring Holiday and the screaming is not helping him relax." Kat was confused – why would Severus authorize a Spring Holiday away from Hogwarts? (No one knew that Severus was hoping that some of the students could use the time away from Hogwarts to go into hiding with their families.)

"Cissa, seriously?" Bellatrix cackled. "Draco! Draco, love, come give your Aunty a kiss hello."

Kat slowly opened her eyes and saw another blonde cautiously enter the room. He kept his eyes away from Katerina's body looking straight at his Aunt. "Hello Aunt Bella, how have you been?" His voice sounded tense and nervous. She saw that his hand was shaking.

"Oh I'm just wonderful. I've been given a wonderful task by our Lord." Bellatrix said excitedly.

"And what is that, Aunt?"

"Look down my love, surely you recognize our guest."

Kat looked up into grey eyes that could not hide their shock and uneasiness as he realized who had been the source of the unearthly screaming. "Kat." He whispered so softly she could hardly hear him.

"Yes, yes!" Bellatrix was joyful. "I have been given the instruction to break the Princess. She has been a great disappointment to her dear grandfather. Obviously the result of being raised by that disgusting old man and his blood-traitor son. Now that you are here, maybe you'd like to help me break her, get back into good standing with our Lord."

"I-I-I don't think I could do that." Draco stuttered. "I don't think the Dark Lord would appreciate you giving me your job without consulting with him first."

Bellatrix giggled. "Always finding ways around things. Just like your father. Well I hope you and your sensibilities will be able to understand that I will still do my job, even if you are here from school to _relax_. I will at least have you tend to our _guest_. The Dark Lord does not want her to die. Crucio!" And with that the pain was back and Katerina screamed and screamed until finally she passed out. What Kat did not know was that once she had passed out, Draco had quickly excused himself from the room and raced to his private bathroom where he promptly threw up and sobbed into his arms. He thought hard on how he could mention to someone where Kat was but he did not know who would trust him.

* * *

Kat didn't know how long she had been in the dungeons of the Manor when another person was thrown into the cell with her and the wand maker. It only seemed like hours after finding out that Draco was home but it could have been days. The potions they forced her to take made it extremely hard to understand what was going on around her. She flinched when a soft hand touched her shoulder and she tried to throw the person off of her but she was too weak.

"Kat? Is that you?"

"Lu-luna?" Kat could not believe her ears. "Luna is that you?" Suddenly she had arms wrapped around her and she felt tears falling on her arms.

"Oh I knew you were still alive, oh thank goodness. You've been missing for months! Everyone has been so worried about you."

"Luna, why are you here? Why did they take you?"

"They want my dad to stop writing The Quibbler. I'm assuming that they are using me to threaten him." Even with the seriousness of what was happening, Luna still sounded airy and light. It was a nice comfort to Kat to hear her voice. "You know Fred hasn't stopped looking for you. We listened to Potterwatch every night in the RoR."

"They're ok?" Kat cried. Luna went to pull her in tighter but Kat let out a gasp of pain.

"Oh I'm so sorry. I wish I could heal you but they broke my wand in half when they took me."

"It's ok, I'll be ok. Are you hurt? They didn't touch you did they?"

"No. They said that as long as I am good, I won't be touched, well at least as long as my dad doesn't continue to publish I guess."

"I'm sorry Luna."

"It's ok. It will all be over soon. Only a few more months." Luna sounded so sure of herself that Kat couldn't help but grin. "He will not win, we will lose much, but we will still win."

"Luna, this may sound strange, but can I sleep against you? I've missed having a friend."

"I won't leave. Get some rest Kat."

* * *

"HERMIONE! HERMIONE!" Kat was woken days later to what sounded like the screaming voice of Ronald Weasley. She tried to sit up but she quickly gave up when she felt the pain in her legs. Bellatrix had used a hex that broke her legs the day before and she had thrown her into cell to deal with the pain. Draco would normally come in the morning to deliver food, potions and heal her but he hadn't come yet. Now she knew why.

"Harry? Ron?" Luna's voiced called out quietly. Suddenly there was light in the dark cell and Kat had to look away. The boys hadn't been able to see her yet from where she was lying but she could see Harry, Ron, Dean Thomas and an old looking goblin had joined them.

"Luna?" Harry's eyes were wide. Suddenly screaming was heard from above and Ron started yelling for Hermione again, throwing himself against the door. "Ron, stop, we need to figure this out."

"She'll kill her." Ron sounded so broken.

"No," Kat coughed, "She plays with her food before eating it."

"KAT!" Three boys yelled in surprise at the appearance of the missing woman.

"Hey guys, long time no see." Kat tried to grin but she was too weak. From above them Hermione was screaming louder than before. Suddenly Pettigrew was back, asking for the goblin to come with him. Kat watched as Harry pulled a piece of glass out of his shoe.

"That's a weird place to keep that." Luna said amused.

"Help us. Please help us." Harry was talking into the glass. The screaming had started up again, this time a deeper male voice. There was a sudden pop and there standing in front of them was Dobby.

"Oh Harry Potter! I am so glad to see you alive."

"Dobby! You can get through the wards?"

"Of course, sir, I'm an elf."

"Can you take others with you." The elf nodded and looked around the room. "We need somewhere we can go, somewhere safe."

"Shell Cottage," Ron said instantly. "It's where Bill and Fleur live."

"Ok Dobby can you take them there and then come back and help us get Hermione?" Harry asked quickly.

"Yes, sir, Dobby can, sir. It will have to be two trips though the young miss there is greatly injured." Dobby had nodded towards Kat. Dobby grabbed Olivander, Dean and Luna first. Instantly he was back and he laid a hand upon Kat's forehead. "Miss I will have to put you to sleep, it too painful to not." Kat nodded. Next thing she knew she was asleep.

* * *

Fred was eating lunch with George, Bill, Lee and Fleur when a loud pop came from the living room. Everyone grabbed their wands and raced into the room, ready for a fight wondering how the hell anyone had gotten into the home. They were not prepared for the sudden appearance of Dobby who was holding the hands of Luna, Dean, and a very weak Ollivander. Fleur rushed over to help the elderly wand maker find a seat. Before they could ask any questions Dobby had vanished again.

"She's coming," was all that Luna managed to get out before Dobby popped back into the room, this time with his arms around a very dirty, very bloody, white haired witch. Fred felt his knees give out and he hit the carpet, his mouth open in shock. He crawled over to Dobby and sobbed, bringing the witch into his arms.

"Kat, oh my Kat, oh thank Merlin, thank you, thank you," he looked up but Dobby had already left again.

"Careful Fred," Luna walked over to them. "She has been tortured very badly. Both of her legs are broken." Fred let out a louder sob. "She said they were trying to break her, to make her come to their side. It didn't work though."

"It would never have worked," George spoke up, looking down at the small framed woman in front of him, "Not with our Kat. She is too strong."

"We need potions and a good healer." Bill said his voice thick. "I can do small things but I'm not capable of something like this. If you all are ok I will head to the main HQ and grab Charlie. He is much better at healing." When they nodded in agreement Bill quickly walked out of the room.

Fred looked down at his love, finally feeling whole again but still so broken. He could see the scars on her arms and legs. Her pants and jumper had been all but destroyed, showing more skin than he knew she would like to. He very carefully put his arms under her neck and legs and lifted her up. She was so much lighter than she had ever been before, he was sure if he looked he'd be able to see her ribs. He looked up to see George wiping his eyes. "Need help?"

"No, I've got her. They had to have been starving her, she is so tiny. S-so…" His voice cracked and he closed his eyes. Forcing himself to breathe, he looked up and started walking towards the stairs to lay her down. He was shocked when he heard more screaming, this time coming from outside the cottage. Dean ran to the window.

"It's Harry! And the others!"

Fred nodded to George who went with Luna and Dean to help Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Dobby. Fred however continued up to the room that he was sharing with Lee and George and laid Kat down on the bed. He was grateful that she was still asleep as her legs were sticking out at very unnatural angles and he knew that she had to have been in great pain. He carefully moved down next to her and put her small hand into his. "I love you. And you are never allowed to leave me again."


	23. The Return of Rainbow Bright

Disclaimer: Why oh why can't it be mine? But alas, the Harry Potter universe is not mine.

 **Chapter 23 – The Return of Rainbow Bright**

"We here at Potterwatch have an amazing show for you tonight. It's been a while since we have had any good news but tonight we have multiple things to celebrate in these gloomy times."

"That's right River, tonight is a night to celebrate with loved ones because of our happy news!"

"First we would like to congratulate Mooney on the birth of his son! We hope you enjoy your sleepless nights and dirty nappies."

"Next, we have a confirmed Lightening spotting and the storm is healthy and focused on striking a deadly snake, hopefully soon. Rapier, I'm sure you'd like to be the one to announce the best news of the night."

"I would love to River. Thanks to the amazing Free Elf, who will be getting free WWW products for the rest of his life, and Lightening himself a beautiful, amazing Rainbow has been returned to me."

"That's right Potterwatch friends, not only do we have a new baby, but Boy Wonder is alive and well, and so is our very own Rainbow Bright. However we could use some well wishes for both Rainbow and the Know-It-All, both of whom have been seriously injured and will take a while to heal."

"Speaking of which, I would like to have a warning spread to anyone and everyone who wishes to harm my Rainbow again. I say this with absolute conviction – the next person to touch her in a harmful way will be killed by _my_ wand."

"Alright Rapier, let's not scare the public."

"Sorry, Prankster, just wanted to get that out there."

Yet again, in the Headmasters' tower, a lonely man was crying but for once it was out of happiness. He made the same promise, that if another hurt Katerina again, they would die and he would make sure of it.

* * *

Kat slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She remembered this room from before her and the boys had decided to go camping. She was at Shell Cottage, which meant there would be no more torture and hopefully no more pain. She tried to sit up but was being held down by something. Looking down she noticed that it was an arm. Carefully turning towards the body that she now realized was pressed against her she looked up and saw a handsome face that she thought she would never see again. "Fred." She whispered and two of the most beautiful blue eyes opened to look at her.

"Hey you." Fred's eyes were moist.

"Are you really here? Please tell me this isn't a dream." Kat's voice was weak from not being used for so long.

"No, I'm really here. Thank you for finally waking up, you were starting to really worry me."

"I'm sorry love. How long have I been asleep?"

"Almost two months," Fred whispered nuzzling into her neck.

Kat was flabbergasted. "What?"

"Yeah love, it's been a while. We were starting to worry you wouldn't wake up at all." She saw the tears forming in his eyes. "Oh Merlin, Kat, what the bloody hell were you thinking?" Kat flinched when he started sobbing his head collapsing onto her chest.

"I'm sorry." Kat whispered pulling him tighter to her. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't lose you. I couldn't let anything happen to you. I love you so much and the thought of you dying broke my heart. I can't live without you. I won't do it."

"Why did you think I could live without you?"

"I-I didn't think it through really." Fred gave a small chuckle. "All that was going through my head was that you couldn't die."

"You always did rush into things."

"Well in my defense you're still alive and so am I so technically my semi-thought-out plan worked." Kat tried to grin at him. "Speaking of which, why didn't your ring work?"

"It broke," Fred said simply.

"Oh. I'm sorry you were hurt."

"You broke our Bond." Fred said quietly, as if that was the bigger problem.

"To save you." Kat whispered softy. "I'm so, so sorry. I still love you."

"We did some research while you were gone."

"Ha, I had no idea you knew how to pick up a book." Kat giggled.

Fred swatted her arm. "Very funny. Anyway, we can reseal the Bond."

"Really? How? When can we do it?" Fred laughed at how eager Kat was about resealing the Bond. "I was so worried that it would be permanent and you wouldn't ever forgive me."

"I know you did it out of love and protection and not to hurt me. I will always forgive you." Fred gently cupped her cheek in his palm, his thumb rubbing small circles. "As for how we reseal the Bond, well, that's simply through the act of love."

"Sex?" Kat was honestly surprised it was so simple.

"Well if you want it to not be romantic," Fred laughed. "But not until you are feeling completely healthy."

"I feel fine love," Kat said pushing herself towards him, "And it's been so long since you've been mine. Fred, I want this emptiness gone, I need to feel complete with you again."

"I don't want to hurt you." Fred seemed wary which made sense since she had been unconscious for two months but she had woken up feeling perfectly fine.

"You could never hurt me. Reseal the Bond with me. Please." Kat pulled his hand down to her chest. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his letting her tongue slide along his bottom lip. She felt his hand grip tighten on her breast and moaned. "Silence and locking charms, now."

* * *

George was lifting himself back off the ground when he heard Bill and Lee start to laugh. Shaking his head he couldn't help but chuckle as well. _I guess sleeping beauty finally decided to wake up._ After living with the two for almost a year, George was not surprised at all that the couple hadn't taken their time getting reacquainted with each other.

"What the bloody hell are you laughing about? The house shakes and while we three go looking for Death Eaters you lot start laughing. Is dying funny?" Ron was pissed. Hermione and Harry were still looking around waiting for someone to pop out and attack them.

"Well seeing as that was a _surge_ of power that came from _upstairs_ from the room that Kat and Fred are currently in and this has happened before…" Bill tried to get them to understand without actually having to say that his brother and Kat had just had sex. Both Hermione and Harry blushed as understanding set in.

"So what they could have entered the house from upstairs." Ron, as always, was still oblivious.

"Honestly Ron," Hermione said. "You can't honestly be this dense. Remember your _alone_ time with Lavender?"

Ron blushed. "But Kat is still sleeping!"

"Dammit Ron, what the hell type of guy do you think Fred is?" George bellowed ready to hex his younger brother.

"I didn't mean – I mean –" Ron stammered. "Wait, that Christmas at the shop, that was from them having sex? Bloody hell. I remember my first time was awkward and lots of fumbling not a fucking earthquake happening just because I lost my damn virginity."

"Whoa too much information little brother," Bill gagged.

"It was only the first time, practice makes perfect," George laughed.

"Or having an experienced partner." Hermione added with a nodded. She immediately blushed and avoided the gaze of the boys who were now looking at her with shock and interest.

"Did our little bookworm actually admit that she no longer has her v-card?" Hermione's blush deepened as she muttered something. "What's that love? Couldn't hear you."

"I'm not as innocent as you think I am." Bill, George, and Lee burst out laughing again. Harry was still looking at Hermione as if she was joking while George was worried they would have to restrain Ron with how mad he was getting.

"So who's the lucky guy?" Lee teased.

"Yeah, who do I need to kill?" Harry was only half-joking.

"Besides You-Know-Who no one," Hermione said rolling her eyes.

"B-but who?" Ron stuttered. "I didn't think you were dating anyone."

"I'm not," Hermione answered. "It was more of a fling I think. Not an actual relationship that would have lasted very long. You know more like a few nights of crazy hot – " She seemed to realize what she was saying and quickly shut her mouth, her face bright red again.

"A few…a few nights? What the hell Hermione! How could you do that?"

"Excuse me?! I don't remember you asking my permission to shag Lavender! And I'm quite positive you are not my boyfriend so I owe no explanations to you." Hermione turned towards him, her wand pointing at his chest. "I didn't say anything because it's none of your damn business who I shag or when I shag them! And you know what? I'm not ashamed of what I did. Unlike your abysmal first time that the whole common room found out thanks to your lovely Lav-Lav my first time was like the world was exploding."

George started clapping. "Never be ashamed of your sexual adventures Hermione. And you should always feel free to tell us about them."

"Please don't." Harry groaned.

"Well he couldn't have been that good if you stopped seeing him."

"Dammit Ron, do you ever think before you open your mouth?" Bill growled pinching his nose.

"I stopped seeing him because it wouldn't have lasted and we didn't want to cause a rift between the family! Trust me he definitely knew what he was doing." Hermione said smugly.

"Th-the family?" George could not possibly get any happier than at that moment. Ron looked like he was going to blow a gasket.

"Yes, in the family, my adopted family." Hermione smirked. Damn she looked proud of herself. "Like Kat said, I always was very fond of tattoos on muscled bodies." Hermione sat and waited for the ball to drop.

"CHARLIE? YOU GAVE IT UP TO CHARLIE?" Ron bellowed.

George could not stop laughing at the faces he was watching. Harry seemed like he was going to throw up. Bill was so stunned he couldn't speak and Lee was just grinning while very obviously checking out Hermione in a new way.

"Yes, Charlie." Hermione smiled evilly.

"When the hell did this happen?" George asked extremely interested.

"Erm…remember the swim suits?" Harry and George nodded. "Let's just say Charlie didn't need a cold shower that week."

"Oh Merlin," George couldn't breathe. He was sure that he was going to die from laughing and he thought it was a wonderful way to go. "You sure you two wouldn't work out? I mean that be kind of cool for Charlie."

"No, it won't work between us. We talked a lot at the wedding and both of us decided it would be best to remain friends. I promise it ended amicably with no hard feelings. Hell he was hoping to score with one of the Veelas by the end of the night." Hermione laughed. "I think we both knew that it was just a sexual release not the beginning of a relationship."

"I'm going to bloody kill him."

"You will not Ronald. And if you try, I will hex you so hard that ring will snap quicker than you would think possible."

"I love how many spitfires we have in this family." George said cheerfully. "So is Charlie really that good in bed or are you trying piss off our little brother here." He heard the others groan.

He saw a smirk he recognized from Kat on someone he never would have guessed would have one. "Saw bloody stars."

* * *

They had lain together for hours before finally trying to discuss what had happened after she had been kidnapped. Fred told her how he had woken up at Shell Cottage and was a bloody mess without her. He told her of the emptiness he felt where is heart was and demanded a promise that she would never rescind the Bond ever again. Kat explained how they had taken her jewelry and immediately took her to Voldemort. She told him of the wards that kept her from transforming to the Shedu and how with her anger she had managed to knock out the people that had captured her. Fred laughed when she told him how she told Voldy to go fuck himself when he had offered her a place of power next to him. She then told him how they kept her drugged out of her mind and how Bellatrix was instructed to torture her until she broke or changed sides.

"Fred, they had a potion that was able to keep me so out of it that I couldn't access my power surges. I think that Sev-Snape had to have made it for them." It wasn't until she said this that she started to tear up.

"Was he there?" Fred looked murderous.

"N-no. At least I didn't see him," Kat whispered, "But it means you were right about him. He truly did betray me."

"Kit-Kat, when will you learn that I'm always right?"

"Sorry but in this relationship I will always be the right one," Kat poked him in the chest. "Love do you still have my ring?"

"Of course I do."

"I don't want the big wedding anymore. I just want to be married to you. The sooner the better. This made me realize that we could die during this war and I don't want to die without officially being a Weasley." Kat looked at him with bright eyes. "We just need the words and our wands and a witness or two."

"I love that idea. George and Bill?"

"George and Bill." Kat agreed. "What about Lee?"

"Sounds good. I will talk to them tonight. Do you want to tell anyone else yet?"

"No, not yet, I don't want to piss your mum off just yet. As for now, I want to get the hell out of this damn room." Kat giggled when Fred put his arms under her and lifted her up. "Fred, I can walk."

"Nope. You are finally back to me and unless it's to go the bathroom, you're never leaving my arms again."

"I'd rather never leave your bed again." She giggled again when Fred growled at her and she watched his internal battle of going downstairs to see everyone or tossing her back onto the mattress. When her stomach rumbled his mind was made and he walked to the door. When they got down the stairs they found Hermione alone in the living room reading a book. She looked up and smiled.

"Thank goodness you are alright Kat."

"Yup, good as new." Kat said. "Look at my happy little fox!" Hermione laughed as Kat raised her left arm. "Where is everybody?"

"Er, you didn't hear our fight?" Hermione blushed.

"What? What fight?" Concern tinted Fred's voice as he spoke. "Everyone's ok right?"

"Ron found out." Hermione said to Kat.

Kat's eyes widened. "Oh. Shit."

"Exactly."

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Fred asked looking between the two females.

"Can I tell him Hermione?" When Hermione nodded Kat glanced up at Fred. "Ron knows that Hermione slept with Charlie."

"WHAT?" Fred forgot that he was still holding Kat and dropped her.

"Ouch, dammit Fred."

"Sorry but you can't just drop something that on me."

Kat raised an eyebrow. "And you shouldn't drop your Soulmate." Regret passed on his face while he helped her stand up. He then turned to Hermione and just stared. "Fred love, staring isn't polite."

Fred shook his head and grinned. "Sorry. So wait, did you really sleep with Charlie?"

"Yup."

"Apparently she saw stars." George laughed as he came into the room. "Oh the sleeping princess is awake. And I know that you woke up with a lovely bang." Kat giggled as George lifted her up and twirled her in a circle. "I have missed you Rainbow Bright. Do you know how bloody annoying that boy got without you? I'm sorry to say but I'm putting a permanent sticking charm on you two."

"Kat!" She squealed as Lee pulled her from George and spun her before pulling her into a tight hug. "Are you up for Potterwatch tonight? I know our listeners would love to hear your magical voice again."

"I don't know if she should sing guys," Fred shook his head.

"I feel fine Fred, I promise."

"Hmph, says she shouldn't sing but never mind the ridiculous amount of shagging." George laughed.

"Not a _ridiculous_ amount, only twice. Though I'm all for adding another notch to the bed before the night is out." Kat winked at George.

"Dear lord, Kat way too much information," Harry groaned. "I miss when everyone just blushed when we mentioned who they bloody liked, let alone who is shagging who."

"Jealous Harry?" Kat laughed as Harry gagged.

"So is Bill still trying to get Ron to come back inside?" George asked.

"Yeah."

"Why the hell is he acting this way? Hermione you told me that you talked to him." Kat glared at her friend.

"I did. The night right after…well you know." Hermione looked at her feet and twisted her hands in front of her.

"Hey Harry, Hermione stills blushes." Kat smirked at the messy haired wizard. "So what happened then?"

"I don't know. I tried telling him that we wouldn't work out and that I no longer had those feelings for him. Honestly being with Charlie made me realize that all I really wanted was a release and everyone kept telling us that we should be together that I just convinced myself that I should be with Ron. I know that Ron feels the same way but he is too bloody stubborn and I believe that Mrs. Weasley is pressuring him into trying a relationship with me." When Hermione was done talking the only one that didn't seem shocked by this was Kat.

"Oh don't look like that boys, you can't honestly think that Ron and Hermione would last any longer than a few shags and two big fights before she hexed him or he tried to poison her."

"Come on Kat, don't hold back tell us how you really feel." George laughed.

"Merlin have I missed you," Fred pulled her back to him and crushed his lips to hers completely ignoring the gags.

* * *

When Ron finally came back into the house everyone sat down for the next episode of Potterwatch. Fred explained to Kat that even though the Golden Trio were there they never talked on the show just in case the wrong person was able to listen in somehow but the entire household enjoyed listening. When Lee announced that Kat had agreed to sing everyone was curious at what she would pick as a song but she just smiled. Fred tried again to convince her that she shouldn't push herself too hard but quickly shut up when all she did was stick up two fingers and wiggle her eyes. After putting up the correct charms so that the radio microphone would only transmit the voices of Lee, George, Fred, and Kat the group sat down at the table.

"Dammit Kat sit still," George growled. "Forgot how small your attention span can get."

"I'm excited! It's been months since I got to pick on you and all our friends get to hear it."

"Will you two shut it so we can start?" Lee pinched the top of his nose.

"Is this how it usually starts?" Bill asked, shaking his head.

"Pretty much." Lee and Fred answered.

"Alright 3, 2, 1. Hello everyone near and far welcome to your daily dose of Potterwatch. I am, of course, the amazing Prankster." George began the night with a happy bounce to his voice.

"Amazing is going a bit far. Everyone knows that I am the voice everyone tunes in to hear."

"Sure, River, if only all of our listeners were deaf." Fred laughed. He couldn't remember the last time they sounded so light hearted on the show. "We have a very special guest today."

Kat smiled and in her loudest stage voice she belted out. "I'mmmmmm BACK!"

"Yes, the not so innocent Rainbow is back to send your children running from the room." George was trying hard not to laugh. "Probably should have reminded everyone that this show is not suitable for the young ones."

"I'm sure as soon as they recognized your voice, _Prankster,_ the wizarding community immediately realized this wasn't suitable for humans, let alone children."

"I swear I missed you Rainbow." Groaned George though he was still smiling at her.

"So my lovely listeners, not much has happened since our last episode –" Lee started saying.

"Pretty sure sleeping beauty over there would disagree with you about that," George cut in.

"Damn straight I would. As much as I enjoy my beauty sleep, I think if I slept anymore I'd be so damn stunning your eyes would melt." Kat batted her eyes at Lee.

"Always so modest," Lee laughed.

"Hey one of us has to be."

"Anyway," Fred sighed, "There hasn't been any new kidnappings, disappearances or deaths since last week – at least none that have been reported. Thank goodness."

"The-trio-that-saves-every-ones-arses are still alive and well." Lee added in.

"There have been reports that our lovely youngins that are still being taught at Hogwarts are still giving the current _headmaster_ hell and we would like to encourage them in their efforts but please remember to not get yourself caught." Fred was worried about their friends that were still under Snape's rule.

"Snake-face has not been seen in a few weeks, the coward is obviously allowing his stupid followers do his dirty work." George growled.

"Don't worry Prankster he'll eventually show his disgusting face and when he does our boy Lightening will put him six feet under." Fred added.

"Just in case you are wondering," Kat fake whispered into the mic, "I finally managed to complete my lifetime goal - Snake-face does not react well to being told to go fuck himself. The face he made was hilarious but the pain that resulted – let's just say it wasn't my best idea." She grinned brightly when she saw the startled faces of those watching the show.

"That's our Rainbow," Lee laughed, "Gets captured to save our damn arses and then promptly tells the devil he can go fuck himself. There is no doubt that you got sorted into the correct house."

"But I think we can safely assume that unless you share actual blood with Snake-face or are the Boy-who-doesn't-die telling him that will probably result in a very painful death." Fred added with obvious pride of his witch.

"That's right love, I would not recommend following my path," Kat giggled. "But when this is all over it's going to be one hell of a story to tell our kids."

"And with that, all of the professors of Hogwarts just groaned and grabbed some firewhiskey at the mention of you two reproducing." Lee shook his head at them.

"Don't worry professors, I promise we're only practicing right now!" Kat grinned as she saw Bill, Ron, and Harry hold their stomachs from laughing.

"Rainbow, I think you've spent way too much time living with men."

"No other news tonight unless you want to sit here and listen to these morons go back and forth."

"Hey Prankster, that's just rude." Kat stuck her tongue out at George.

"Now to celebrate the return of the incorrigible Rainbow Bright, I am thrilled to say that River has convinced her to end our Potterwatch tonight the original way. She may have a dirty mouth but damn this girl can sing."

"I'm so glad you enjoy my voice Prankster, just as I am going to enjoy your ten galleons."

"What?" George asked confused.

"I may have been gone for months but this brain of mine doesn't forget much. I do believe that the night before…well before that shitty day you bet me that I couldn't pull off a rock song."

"I'll believe it when I hear it Rainbow."

"Alright everyone, thank you all so much for your thoughts and well wishes. Golden Trio, good luck out there, we know you're planning something amazing. I would like to also send out a very special hello to my gram – I know you're listening and I cannot wait until I can see you again. The next password is FIRE." Kat lifted the pick-a-song box and tapped her wand to it. A guitar sweetly flowed into the room. Kat closed her eyes and breathed deep.

 _Am I brave enough?  
Am I strong enough?  
To follow the desire  
That burns from within  
To push away my fear  
To stand where I'm afraid  
I am through with this  
'Cause I am more than this  
I promise to myself  
Alone and no one else  
My flame is rising higher_

 _I am the fire  
I am burning brighter  
Roaring like a storm  
And I am the one I've been waiting for  
Screaming like a siren  
Alive and burning brighter  
I am the fire_

 _I've been sacrificed  
My hearts been cauterized  
Hanging on to hope  
Shackled by the ghost  
Of what I once believed  
That I could never be  
What's right in front of me?_

 _I am the fire  
I am burning brighter  
Roaring like a storm  
And I am the one I've been waiting for  
Screaming like a siren  
Alive and burning brighter  
I am the fire_

 _I don't believe I'll fall from grace  
Won't let the past decide my fate  
Leave forgiveness in my wake  
Take the love that I've embraced_

 _I promise to myself, me and no one else  
I am more than this  
I am the fire_

 _I am the fire  
I am burning brighter  
Roaring like a storm  
And I am the one I've been waited for  
Screaming like a siren  
Alive and burning brighter_

 _I am the fire I am the fire  
I am the fire I am the fire_

"Dammit." George growled as he passed her the coins. "One of these days I'm going to win."

"Don't count on it. Goodnight everyone!"

* * *

*Song is I Am the Fire by the amazing Halestorm


	24. The Battle of Hogwarts

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

 **Chapter 24 – The Battle of Hogwarts**

It was close to lunchtime when the street of Diagon Alley shook violently. Everyone that was out shopping froze in the streets as they heard the explosion of glass and stone coming from the direction of the oldest wizarding bank in Europe. A loud, pained roared erupted into the air and the people watched in horror as a stark white dragon covered in blood and chains crawled out of the destroyed ceiling of the building. It sat there breathing heavily for a few seconds before a red hex was seen traveling towards its long and spikey tail. The dragon roared again in anger and flapped its' thin wings, taking flight away from the city. There were rumors of three young people holding onto the back spikes of the creature as it fled from the wands of the wizards trying to contain it.

Katerina was helping Fleur make dinner when the radio suddenly burst to life, the call clear and excited:

 _Lightening has struck Hogwarts, I repeat Lightening has struck Hogwarts. It's begun. If you can get here, come and help us defend our school._

Kat stood and stared at the box, hoping to hear more. She surprisingly recognized the voice of Seamus Finnegan who she knew was at Hogwarts for his seventh year. Harry and company had returned to the school and now the call for backup had finally come. Kat had guessed when they had gotten news that Harry, Hermione, and Ron had broken into and out of Gringotts, on the back of a bloody dragon no less that the end was getting closer. Voldemort had lost his mind when he discovered what had occurred at Gringotts and had killed all that had been working that day. Thank the gods Bill had taken off because they were celebrating Fleurs' newly discovered pregnancy. Kat and Fleur looked at each other terrified before Kat ran off to tell the boys. Fred, George, Lee and Bill were in the living room discussing the Gringotts break-in and Bill was telling them that it was going to be months before he actually had an office to return to. As of now he was regulated to working out of his home and he had more time to relax than before. They all jumped at the sight of Kat's alarmed face.

"What's wrong?"

"Is Fleur ok?"

"Are you ok?"

"Harry has returned to Hogwarts." Kat said warily. "The school is preparing for b-battle." Before the boys could respond a beautiful Lynx Patronus came rushing into the room. Kat's knees buckled when she heard the raspy, tired voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Battle has come to Hogwarts. Meet at the Hogshead immediately."

"It's almost over," Lee cried. "We need to go help them!"

Kat pulled her emotions into herself and straightened her spine. She did not want to have an accidental burst of power that could accidentally harm any of her loved ones. Looking at the determined faces of the men she loved she nodded. "Does everyone have their rings?" She glanced down at the newly created ring that she had spent the previous month making to replace the ones that had been lost to her and the boys.

"Both of them," Fred grinned. He stepped forward and lovingly took her left hand into his, his long fingers twirling the wedding band on her ring finger. She had decided to leave her engagement ring in a safe box upstairs in the guest bedroom so that it wouldn't be harmed in battles. "Come on, _wife_ , let's go end this."

"Oh Merlin," George groaned, "He even makes war look romantic. Oi, Fred, you're screwing it up for the rest of us normal men." Bill and Lee laughed. Fred, Lee, George, and Kat walked outside so that Bill could have a private moment with his pregnant wife. When he returned to them he was walking tall but she could see the red tracks that ran down his face. No one knew what to expect from this and they might not return.

"Come on, let's see those smiles," Kat encouraged. "Now if any of you idiots die, I'm going to make sure that I bring you back and kill you again for doing something so stupid." They all laughed lightly. "Except you, if _you_ die I promise to make the afterlife miserable for us both."

"None us are dying," Fred promised, knowing that while she was joking around she was terrified of losing her loved ones. "Well except Snake-Face. We are going to win and then you and I are going to celebrate by getting roaring drunk and stupidly forgetting charms and potions so that in nine months I have a little terror to name after the Great Battle of Hogwarts."

"We are not naming a kid that."

"Well at least you didn't say no to the kid part." Fred said hopefully.

"To be honest," Kat blushed as she realized Bill, George, and Lee were watching them with large grins. "I would love to have your child growing inside of me. Let's go end this and then come back to start _our_ family."

Fred turned towards the other three with a toothy smile. "You heard the lady, let's go! I've got plans that can't be delayed!"

The others laughed and with a small nod walked to the Apparation Point and disapparated to the Hogshead bar. The street they landed onto was depressingly quiet, as if all of Hogsmeade knew what was about to happen. Following the boys into the dimly lit bar she was happy to see how many people had arrived to help fight. She saw Tonks, Remus and Sirius talking with Luna, Mr. Lovegood, and Dean Thomas. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were standing with Charlie and surprisingly Percy Weasley, though the second oldest son looked like he wanted to punch the younger one. Kingsley was talking to her Great-Uncle Aberforth and an exhausted, bruised Neville Longbottom. There were many others that she didn't recognize. She saw Neville nod his head and the portrait her grandfather's sister opened up to reveal a secret passageway. Fred and George looked shocked, probably because this passage was one they didn't know about. Slowly following the group through the small stone pathway they entered into a room that was bursting with energy.

They had come out into the Room of Requirement, though she had never seen it so busy and crowded. There were hammacks and beds hanging everywhere and so many of the missing students. Kat gave a loud cry as she saw Ginny and Hermione, her closest female friends. She ran to them both and wrapped her arms around them, tears falling. "Oh thank Merlin, you two are safe."

"Only one in the room more excited about them than about Harry," Seamus laughed.

"Hey, we all know Boy Wonder doesn't die," Kat said cheerfully. "He's more cat than gram or I."

"Speaking of Harry," Mr. Weasley turned to him. "Why did you come here? You know it's not safe."

"I need to find something, we aren't sure what it is, but it would have belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw. It needs to be destroyed before we can take out Tom," Kat smiled as she noticed Harry still would not refer to him as You-Know-Who. He sounded so much older and wiser. " _He_ knows we are coming here."

"How can we help you find what you don't know?" Seamus asked confused.

"What about the Lost Diadem?" Luna asked airily. When everyone looked at her not understanding she continued, "The Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw?"

"Luna, that's been lost for decades," Cho Chang spoke quietly. "No one alive would know of it." The group was quieted as the deep baritone of the Headmaster was pushed through the school wards.

"All students report to the Great Hall _immediately_."

All eyes flashed to Harry who grinned at Kat. "How about we go fuck his night up?" Mrs. Weasley and Hermione scoffed at the curse but the rest of the room were excited to start.

Kat licked her lips, "With pleasure Mr. Potter."

Half an hour later Kat had walked into the Great Hall with the rest of the Order just as Harry was telling Severus of his security issues in the school. She saw her grandmother beam with pride when she connected with Kat's stony gaze. Kat had eyes for no one but the dark man in black that she had stupidly trusted for so long. "Tell them." She heard Harry demand. "Tell them how you killed Albus Dumbledore." She watched as her grandmother moved to Severus her wand raised at his chest. _No_ she thought. Gram was not going to become killer.

Dropping Fred's hand she moved towards Snape allowing her shields to drop. She instantly felt her hair begin to spark and the gasps of the students as they backed away from her. She pulled her magic to her so that she wouldn't harm anyone other than the man in front of her. The man she had blindly trusted, the man that she had loved like a best friend. He was looking at her with a blank face but his eyes were giving away a sadness she didn't understand. Maybe he was just sad that he knew she was going to kill him. She calmly walked forward and pushed her magic out at him. "You don't deserve to stand where he stood." She watched as he stumbled but still would not raise his wand. "Fight me dammit," She pushed another burst out at him, this time he deflected it causing it to hit the two creepy looking teachers standing behind him. "FIGHT ME YOU COWARD!" She felt happy when his eyes flashed rage at the comment.

"Kat," she heard him whisper lightly, "Remember Kat, please remember."

"Remember what?" Kat hissed at him, "Remember that you _were_ my friend? Remember that you _hexed_ my best friend's ear off? Remember that you _killed_ my grandfather, the man that constantly defended you and said to trust you? Remember that you _betrayed_ me?!" She watched as he backed away towards the windows of the Great Hall, glancing warily at the enraged witch in front of him. She staggered backwards when she saw the love and pain that crossed his face.

"Remember that I am sorry," Kat had to read his lips to understand what he had said. The statement confused her and she felt angry as her power dropped away, her heart and soul rebelling against harming this man. He gave one last look at the faces around him and suddenly he jumped out the window, appearing to be able to fly without the use of a broom. She started to follow him, planning on transforming when a hand reached out and stopped her.

"He's returning to _him_ ," Grandmother said. "We will get revenge my love, but now we must help Potter and prepare the school for battle." No more was said as screaming suddenly filled the Hall. Then she heard _his_ voice in her head demanding for Potter so no else would be harmed. She hexed the girl who had told the other Slytherins to grab Harry and only gave a mild shrug when her grandmother yelled at her.

"Mr. Filtch, can you please escort the Slytherins out of the room? I think the dungeons will do." The hall cheered as the children of the Death Eaters were removed. "I think that'll be a good way to keep them safe and hopefully when this is over they will learn to change." Gram then performed a Sonorus on herself. "QUIET! All students under the age of seventeen are to evacuate the building immediately. Heads and Prefects, please escort them to the Room of Requirement. Any witch or wizard that does not want to fight, you should leave now as well. NO ONE underage may stay."

Kat helped the Professors and Order members as they charmed the school with protection wards. She pushed her power surges into the wards to hopefully give them a bit more before they could be broken. She then walked to Fred, George, and Lee to wait for the show to begin – which was honestly the most painful part. Kat cried out when the first hex hit the wards followed shortly by thousands and thousands of hexes as the Dark tried to break in. They jumped when they heard the scream of rage and anger coming from beyond the wards and her heart dropped when she felt the wards begin to shake. Someone was putting as much of their power into breaking the wards as they could without draining themselves.

She gave Fred a long, deep hug. "It's happening love," she whispered. He pulled her face up to his and looked into her eyes. Saying nothing because there was nothing left to be said he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her passionately – a kiss that could have been goodbye.

Minutes later she heard the first scream and watched in horror as acromantulas came over the castle barriers, trying to pick up wizards and witches to tear into pieces. She pulled her magic into her hands and sent out multiple killing and lacerating hexes towards the beasts. She felt a slight drain of magic and she turned to see Fred and George taking on a troll, their Bond giving him the necessary boost to take the giant creature down. No matter how many they took out there seemed to be even more coming – they were never going to win this. She saw another giant spider rage towards her grandmother who was busy fighting off a Death Eater and she quickly transformed, roaring as she crashed into the monster. She felt limbs trying to reach her wings to rip them off and she cried out when her left wing was forced backwards, feeling the breaking bones. She pulled some extra energy from Fred who was frantically hexing the underside of the beast and pushed it into the spider's chest, effectively exploding its heart.

She stumbled, her left wing not lying against her side completely, as she climbed off of the large arachnid, her breathing labored. She heard her grandmother yell for everyone to get back into the castle, to retreat. Once inside, the doors were shut and they received a brief amount of time to try and heal or regroup before the front doors would be destroyed, bringing the battle into the school. She remained in her Shedu form, not knowing what would happen if she transformed with a broken wing. Fred stood in front of her trying to keep her attention on him as her grandmother and George gently pulled the injured wing away from her body to try and heal it. Kat roared and tried to move from them but she felt another body on top of hers. She distantly heard Charlie telling her to sit still and stop moving. She felt am immense surge of fire running through her wing and then suddenly the pain stopped. She whimpered and collapsed to her front paws. She watched her Gram give Fred a small vial and lazily opened her mouth when Fred asked her to. Pepper-up Potion. Thank Merlin.

When she finally had control over her body, she transformed back, falling to her knees drained. "Well that's one way to save your grandmother," Fred laughed sadly. Kat glanced around the hall seeing all of the people that already needed to be heal and looked over. She gasped when she saw Lee lying on the floor unmoving. "The rings work love," Fred said softly. "He isn't dead, just hurt. They are preparing a portkey now to take the seriously injured to St. Mungos." Kat nodded. Severus never told how to get past the rings.

They didn't have much time to rest as they heard the doors suddenly implode, screams coming from the entrance. What felt like hours of fighting passed and Kat, George, and Fred were running up and down the stairs and halls attacking Death Eaters and saving hurt or injured students. They had found Percy cornered by none other than the current Minister of Magic and three other Death Eaters. The three friends screamed in rage and began throwing hexes at the masked men, Percy taking on the Minister. She laughed as she heard Percy telling his boss that if he didn't know already, he quit. She saw Fred narrowly miss a killing curse and she screamed again, her power starting to surge around her and she growled at the four evil people in front of her. The man that had tried to kill Fred was thrown into the wall behind him and did not get back up. The other three turned their wands on her before the Minister suddenly began screaming to his _friends_.

"It's _her_! No you idiots don't hit her, she's dangerous. Kill the boy with the tattoo, quickly, it'll take her out as well." She processed what he had said saw the green flashes of the curse heading towards her heart and soul. All she felt was rage.

"FRED!" She screamed loudly and tried to push the magic out before the curses managed to get to him. She was moving too slow; she wasn't going to save him. The last thing she saw was his blue eyes wide in desperation as he reached out to her, Percy and George running to try to push him out of the way, and then she felt as the Killing Curse hit Fred in the chest, her own chest erupting into pain and fire, her soul breaking into pieces. Before she fell to the ground she pushed her last bits of power surge into the three men that had taken her Fred from her. _At least I'll always be with him_ , she thought as she closed her eyes.

* * *

Severus had been called to the side of his _Master_ and he pretended to be concerned that the Elder Wand was not working for him but inside he was delighted that Albus' plan had worked. He knew that the Wand would work for Potter now and that it would not easily kill its master. As he listened to Voldemort talk on and on about why wasn't it working he realized that the thing in front of him thought that _he_ was the master of the Wand. He didn't think that he was going to survive this war, honestly he didn't, but it still stung a bit to understand that these were his last moments. Just as he watched Voldemort start to maneuver the protective bubble of his pet snake over to Severus he heard a small familiar voice in his head, _At least I'll always be with him_ and in that instant he knew what had happened. Feeling his soul rip as the woman he loved died he used a finger to twist the ring she had made for him off of his hand, allowing the cold metal to drop to the floor. What would be the point in surviving this if _she_ was dead?

He felt the sharp stab into his neck repeatedly, the weight of Nagini knocking him to the ground. He felt as her poisonous saliva worked itself into his veins, burning like Firewhiskey and making his eyes water in pain. He knew that he was dying and he was ok with it as long as Potter finished it. He'd now go and see Lily, apologize again for what he had done, and then he'd explain everything to Katerina. Katerina shouldn't be joining him in death, it wasn't fair to her. _People like me deserve this end,_ Severus thought to himself, _Not strong, young witches like her._ His eyes began to flutter.

"Professor!" That sounded strangely like Potter. Those eyes, those beautiful green eyes, Lily's eyes. What the hell was Potter doing here? Wait, the memories, he had to get the memories to Potter before he died. He felt the tears staining his face and pushed the thoughts into the salty liquid.

"T-t-take them." He forced out of his ruined throat. "T-t-take them."

"Hermione! I need a flask, hurry."

"Let me help you, Professor."

Severus tried to push her away but he wasn't strong enough. "L-leave me. S-s-she's dead." He couldn't say anymore, his throat too damaged to. As his eyes started to flutter again he felt someone lift his hand and a cold round object was forced onto his finger. He peacefully fell into the darkness as the Golden Trio left him to so they could end this war.

* * *

George had watched the scene play out in front of him in slow motion. Helping Percy who was backed against a wall by the Minister; the Killing Curse that almost took out Fred; Kat's outburst throwing the man against the wall killing him instantly; the Minister telling them to kill Fred so that Kat would die as well, and then watching as his world was forever destroyed. He heard Kat's scream and turned to see the green curse flying towards his brother's chest. He heard Percy yell out as the two brothers rushed to push Fred out of the way but they wouldn't make it in time. He watched in horror as Fred reached out to Katerina, as her power surged, her eyes wide in desperation and fear. He saw Fred's body thrown backwards and Kat's last cry of anguish before her magic surged forward and her body collapsed to the ground. Kat's last act of magic had been to push all her stores into the three surviving men that had attacked Fred and he watched as her magic literally made them explode, covering the hall with gore.

"No, no, no, no," he heard a voice yelling. It took him a bit to realize that it was his own. He fell down next to Fred's body and pulled him into his arms. "Wake up, wake up dammit!" Percy stood staring, not knowing what to do.

"George, we can't stay here," Percy whispered. "It isn't safe."

"Go get help."

"George," Percy pulled his arm but he ignored him, "George, there is no helping them. Fred and Kat are d-d-dead. We need to get out of here."

"I'M NOT LEAVING THEM HERE!" George bellowed. "Go find someone to help me move them." Percy knew by the look George gave him that there would be no changing his mind and so he ran down the hallway looking for anyone. George gently laid Fred's head down onto the ground and forced himself to get up and move to Katerina. He picked her small, cold frame up and carried her over to Fred, where she belonged. It was a small comfort to know that they'd be together forever now. George sat down behind them and carefully lifted both of their heads into his lap. Ignoring the battle still happening all around them George Weasley began to sob over the dead bodies of his two best friends.

It wasn't until after Voldemort had announced for the break in war, for each side to collect their injured and dead, that Percy was finally able to get back to them. Although his sobs had slowed down and weren't as heavy tears were still flowing down his face and he hadn't moved from his spot. He finally looked up when he heard a straggled voice. "Fred, Kat, no please no," Percy had found Charlie. "They can't be dead, they can't be."

"Help me move them," George managed, "We can't leave them here."

"No, no we can't," Charlie sounded as if he was in a dream. Maybe that's what this all was, a horrible, terrible dream. His voice cracked as he said, "You two take F-Fred. I'll get Kit-Kat." He watched as Charlie carefully picked up Katerina and held her close to his body tears falling as the dragon tamer stood back up. "At least we know they are with each other." George closed his eyes willing himself to become strong enough to get Fred to their family. George delicately cradled Fred's head and shoulders as Percy came over to pick up his feet. Very slowly the grim Trio worked their way down to the Great Hall.

"NO!" He heard his mother cry out. "What happened? He's ok! Tell me he's ok!" George didn't respond. He couldn't respond. "Charlie, is that-is she-are they?!" Then his mother wailed like he had never heard her before and he saw Bill run over to catch her before she hit the floor. George and Percy walked over to a free spot on the floor and gently put Fred down. He moved only slightly so that Charlie could place Katerina's body next to Fred's just where she belonged. He stared at the young couple for what felt like hours before he looked down at the Bond Tattoos they shared – he gave an agonized cry as he saw that both tattoos were black and unmoving.


	25. Neverland and Second Chances

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Harry Potter.

 **From the writer** : This is the last chapter! I really hope that you like it. Again, thank you so much for taking your time to read my story!

* * *

 **Chapter 25 – Neverland and Second Chances**

Katerina Dumbledore had not felt so calm and carefree in many years. As she felt a cool breeze blow over her bringing the pleasant smell of her favorite secret garden, Kat knew that she was in heaven. Literally. And for some strange reason she felt absolutely no fear or sadness at being dead. She felt peace; a light and airy peace that she wished all her friends could feel – not that she wished any of her friends dead, of course, but she wished that wherever they were, they could feel peace and happiness not sorrow and pain of war. She sighed gently when the next wisp of air brought to her the smell of her Soulmate. "Fred." She whispered as she opened her eyes.

Standing over her, with his brilliant blue eyes and crazy red hair, was the man who made everything in her life worth it. He gave her a goofy grin and extended his hand to her to help her stand up. "Hello, love." He pulled her into his arms and she felt him lower his head to her neck and nuzzle her happily. "I'm glad they got one thing right – I'll never have to know what life is like without you."

Kat pressed her head into his chest and sighed. "What do we do now? I mean I like the secret garden but I'm not sure I'd like to spend eternity in it." She smiled as she felt his laughter in his chest.

"Well, my lovely Kit-Kat, you promised me that you'd make the afterlife miserable if I died on you." He smirked at her when Kat raised her head to glare at him. "But first I think we should head towards that strangely glowing archway." Kat followed his gaze and saw a beautiful stone arch that was covered in runes and ivy. The space in between was indeed glowing a bright, inviting white and Kat felt a soft tug in her heart pulling her towards it. Kat turned back to Fred and nodded once, grabbing his hand and starting to walk to the next great adventure.

"Stop." Kat gasped when she heard his voice and Fred quickly whipped around, trying to go for his wand but instead cursing when he realized they didn't have them. He pushed Kat behind him and Kat was surprised when she heard the growl coming from the man in front of her.

"Severus," Kat whispered.

"What do you want Snape?" Fred demanded.

"I'm trying to stop you from making the wrong choice," Severus said gently. Kat took a moment to look at him and she realized that for the first time in many months, probably even years, Severus looked happy and content. He wasn't sneering or frowning, he wasn't even speaking rudely or distastefully.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you cannot pass through the arch," Severus said calmly.

"We have to Sev, we're dead, and that there is our next journey," Kat said softly pointing to the arch.

"You two shouldn't have had to die. Hell, you shouldn't have had to fight in a bloody war at all. Too young. Much too young to sacrifice everything like you did." Severus stepped forward, hands held out to show he meant no harm to the young couple. He looked at Kat and smiled. "Such an amazing, strong, beautiful witch – truly one in a million and this proves it."

"Can someone please explain what the hell is going on?" Fred looked from his witch to the man he thought was a murderer. "Why in the bloody hell is he even here?"

"Well, obviously I'm here for the same reason you are, Mr. Weasley. To pass on." Severus said gently. "Only I haven't actually died yet."

"How is that possible then?" Kat asked.

"That's the question you ask?!" Fred screamed. "This is the man that killed your grandfather! This man betrayed us!"

Kat shook her head and smiled. "But he didn't love."

"The memories returned?" Severus asked with a sad smile.

"Yes, though I'm worried about Grandfather. If both of us are dead, then who will wake him?"

Fred stared at Kat and blinked. "Please for the love of Merlin, explain what the hell is happening."

"Severus was a spy," Kat replied, placing her hand gently on Fred's arm to calm him down. "My Grandfather, the insane manipulative arse, was trying to save Draco's soul and at the same time solidify Severus' place with Voldemort. Draco was instructed to kill grandfather or otherwise his whole family would be violently murdered. Grandfather came up with the lovely idea of having Severus 'kill' him so that he wouldn't actually have to die, Draco would be spared, and Severus' role wouldn't be destroyed."

"So Dumbledore isn't actually dead? We watched him being buried in the ground!"

"Well, yes, but Severus and I created a potion that would make him sleep without needing food, water or air. We have another potion that will wake him up. However, the plan wasn't completely thought out correctly seeing as Severus and I are both dead." Fred looked absolutely bewildered but nodded as if he understood.

"There, little witch, you are wrong," Severus smiled again. "I'm not dead yet."

"Is it just me, or is seeing Snape smile so much really creepy?" Kat punched him in the arm while Severus surprised them both by laughing.

"How are you here if you aren't dead?"

"A few years ago, I met a young witch whom I felt an instant connection to but I ignored it because well, it was quite discontenting to be drawn to an eleven year old child. The older she grew, the more she grew on me, kind of like a fungus," Severus smirked at Kat. "Then something horrible happened to the young witch and I heard her call out a name. Only one other person in the room heard the scream." Kat gasped and she looked at Fred who was now staring at Severus with his mouth open. "I was confused for the longest time until just last year when she was captured by that _thing_ and I felt like my very _soul_ was being ripped in half. Did you know that there are one or two witches in every generation that is born with _two_ soulmates?"

" _Two?_ " Kat stared at him like he had multiple heads. Fred however nodded. "How do you know this?"

"My Uncles Gideon and Fabian were Soulbonded to one witch."

Severus nodded. "They made an incredible Triad, extremely powerful. That was why the Dark Lord wanted them, first to join with him, and then when they wouldn't, to kill them."

"That doesn't explain why you're…oh…erm wow…" Fred suddenly found continuing his sentence hard.

"That was exactly my reaction at first Mr. Weasley. While I admit to finding Katerina beautiful and an acceptable partner, I worry about how a Triad would have worked between us. I'm quite sure we'd be the first Triad to die due to me killing you off for being an imbecile." Fred snorted.

"So let's get this straight," Kat said, her mind moving in a thousand different directions. "You are saying that I have two Soulmates: Fred and you. Is that why no matter what you did, my heart and soul kept telling me to trust you?" Severus nodded and Fred looked like a puzzle was coming together. "And we would have made a Triad?"

"Only if we had completed the Bond," Severus answered, a light blush crossing his cheeks. Fred laughed at the sight and tried to cover it with a cough. "However, since that is not the case, it did keep me from dying when you two were killed."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because the Bond called me here," Severus said, stepping closer. "I think, because I had grown so close to you, that this was a way for me to say goodbye to you before you passed on. However, I know more than most," Severus smirked, "And I will not be using this opportunity for that. Well I will be saying goodbye, but you will not be dying."

"What?"

"Katerina, you are an extremely powerful witch, and because of this your body and magic are actually fighting the Soulbond and death. Those on the other side don't know it yet, but your body is not fully dead. My soul has connected enough to yours that it is grounding you."

"You mean Kat doesn't have to die?" Fred looked both elated and terrified at the same time.

"What about Fred?" Kat whispered.

"He is truly dead."

"That's ok love," Fred said with a sad smile. "I'd much rather you'd be alive."

"NO!" Kat yelled. "I can't live without you. I can choose to pass on, right Severus?"

"You can but I won't let you," Severus had stopped walking and was standing right in front of Kat. "I'm also not allowing Fred to either." He looked to the red-head who was yet again staring in confusion at the dark wizard. "Fred, take care of Katerina for me, she's an amazing witch and she deserves to live a full life. Don't worry when you wake up, I'll send Katerina after you. Just want to talk to her for a minute. Sorry about this but it's not my rules on how it works," Severus didn't give the two any time to speak as he pulled his fist back and punched Fred as hard as he could in the chest right where his heart was. Kat screamed as Fred fell backwards, his body disappearing as he hit the ground.

"What did you do?!" Kat screamed again.

"I sent him back little witch," Severus smiled. "I'm taking his place."

"Wait…what?"

"I'm taking his place. Benefits of being an unsealed Triad and me being so close to death myself, I can take the place of another death. I never expected to live through this war and I was perfectly fine with dying for the side of the light. You two have already Bonded and I will not watch you fall apart when there is something that I can do to keep it from happening."

"Severus, I don't want you to die either," Kat cried, tears finally escaping. "I don't want to lose you."

"I know little witch," Severus cupped her face in his hands, using his thumbs to gently wipe away the tears. "If this was another life, I would have gladly tolerated that menace to keep you in my arms, but death needs its soul that it was promised and I'd rather it be mine than the man that I know you need."

Kat closed her eyes and tried to breathe. "I never understood what I felt towards you. And now that I'm finally understanding you want to leave me."

"Oh Kat, I'll never really leave you, you should know that. I don't deserve another chance at life, but Fred does. As frustrating as he and his twin are, they were always good at heart. And George doesn't deserve to lose both his best friend and his brother. Now, it's time that we've said goodbye."

"Severus Snape, you really are the bravest man I've ever known," Kat wrapped her arms around him and pulled him tightly to her. "Are you sure you really must go?"

Severus pulled himself away and smiled down at her. "I must. I'm off to Neverland, my next great adventure." He started walking towards the arch but stopped and turned to Kat again. "Oh, and little witch? Keep away from the Firewhiskey tonight," He grinned and looked pointedly at her stomach, "You won't be needing it. Oh and those _two_ are going be wonderful payback for their mother and father. I love you Katerina." The last thing Kat saw was Severus' large smile as he walked backwards into the arch before her vision got cloudy again.

* * *

George Weasley had only moved once from his spot behind Fred and Katerina's bodies and that was when the fighting began yet again. Fighting the second time didn't seem as important to George and he took riskier chances. Twice Charlie had had to save him from Killing Curses that got too close to him and twice George had yelled at Charlie for pulling him out of the way. When Harry had finally brought down Snake-face for once and for all, George seemed to be the only one who didn't want to celebrate. At least at first. Looking around the Great Hall, George thought that winning the war would have been more exciting and happier. However all he saw was death, destruction, and broken people who would never be the same again.

He watched as his mother sobbed into the chest of his father, who looked at least twice his actual age while his brother Percy rubbed her back in comfort. His mother had finally gained one son back and fate cruelly ripped another from her. Close to his parents sat Bill as he tried to give comfort to their youngest brother who was crying over the body of his ex-girlfriend, Lavender Brown, who had been savagely attacked by Greyback. Charlie was closely following Hermione who was trying her hardest to help Madam Pomfrey with the wounded. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione had finally re-entered the room, George had watched as his strongest brother cry out in relief as he ran to the young witch and wrapped her up in a passionate embrace that she had eagerly returned. Charlie hadn't left her side since.

Harry was currently sitting with Remus and Tonks as the three of them tried to get Sirius calm before he did something he would later regret. He had broken down at the sight of Katerina's body and was trying to hex any of the bodies of the other side. So many people had been sent to St. Mungo's that the hospital had actually asked them to stop sending them unless they were absolutely unable to care for them at the school. Hagrid had been the last one sent.

"Do you think we'll get past the aftermath of war?"

George looked over at his only sister and was shocked by how young she suddenly seemed. Just a few hours ago she had looked like a grown woman and now surrounded by so much death and horror, she appeared to be just the small girl that he liked to pick on. "I-I don't know." George answered truthfully. George looked down at Fred and Katerina. "I don't want to – to live without them."

"I know." Ginny took Kat's hand into her own and stared at the Bond tattoo. "They were so perfect together. No one could have ever handled him the way that she did."

"They were talking about kids," Ginny gasped. "Wanted to start trying tonight actually. They would have made the most beautiful mischievous kids in the world." George started to cry again. He wondered how much crying a person could do before they dehydrated. Suddenly there was a commotion near the door and George looked up to see Draco Malfoy carrying in the body of Severus Snape. A lot of people didn't want Snape to be brought in no matter what Harry had told them of Snape's true allegiance but from what George could hear Harry demanded that he be helped. George ignored the chaos as he looked down at the peaceful bodies of Fred and Kat. A short time later his thoughts were interrupted yet again.

"I don't understand it though, the rings worked for everyone else," Hermione sounded frayed and exhausted. "We never removed the stasis from him, so how could he die?"

"Who died?" Ginny asked, looking up at Charlie and Hermione.

"Snape," Charlie said shortly. "Love, it wasn't your fault. Come on you need to eat something." He started to guide Hermione away from the crowd to where the house-elves had set up a buffet when Ginny gave a startled gasp. Everyone looked at the small witch who was still staring at Kat's arm but now with wide teary eyes. George looked at Kat's arm and blinked as he watched the beautiful purple slowly move through the tattoo and the small little fox slightly wiggle its' tail. A deep groan brought the attention to the wizard beside Katerina.

"Georgie?" George gave a loud cry and fell on top of Fred, sobbing. He could hear Hermione yelling for Poppy and Charlie screaming to his family to come over quickly. "Oi, Georgie, please get your fat arse off me. I'd really like to not die again, you know."

George sat up and stared at his brother. "H-how? How are you alive? I s-s-saw you die!" George was screaming at him. "How the bloody hell could you go and fucking die on me, you bastard!"

It took ten minutes to calm everyone down, allow Poppy to examine Fred, and for Fred to explain what had happened.

"So you really did die?" Hermione asked. "And Snape took your _spot_?"

"Yup," Fred said with admiration. "Though I'm sure he did it more for Kat then for me."

"Why isn't Kat awake though?" Ginny whispered, still watching Kat's tattoo as the fox now ran around in circles.

"Snape said he wanted to talk to her," Fred replied, his fingers wrapping themselves around Kat's. "Said he'd send her to me soon."

Suddenly George started laughing so hard that he'd had to hold his stomach. When his family finally started to question his sanity he managed to spit out, "Oh Godric can you imagine _them_ as a Triad?" There was laughter from the rest of the group though a there were quite a few grimaces at the thought.

"Mmmmh," the small moan caused the group to quickly silence. "Fuck my head hurts." George chuckled as he watched the white-haired witch slowly open her eyes. "Whoa, that's a lot of people watching me…you all need baths."

"I wouldn't talk, sleeping beauty," George laughed.

"Hey, I can bet you I look bloody amazing for having _died_ and all." Kat smirked at him. George looked at his twin who was oddly quiet this entire time and was struck by how Fred was staring at Kat as if she was the reason that the sun came out every morning.

"You are perfect," Fred whispered, cupping her cheek in his hand and pulling her face to his. "The rest of you go away, I need to be absolutely certain that my wife is really here."

"WIFE?"

"Shit."

George couldn't stop laughing as he watched his brother and sister-in-law getting a mixture of yelling, crying, and hugs from so many people who had thought they had died. He looked up as Angelina made her way over to him with tears in her eyes and he opened his arms to pull her close to his body. They had lost so much but they had survived and it was finally over. What would happen next?

"We have so much to do now. Where do we even start?" Hermione asked. Of course, Hermione would be the one to be already trying to figure out the next steps to help the world move on.

"Well, Kingsley has already started with the Aurors and contacting the ministry." McGonagall began, her arm wrapped around Kat's shoulders. "He has asked that all those that can stay here for the night so that investigations and questioning can begin in the morning. He would like to have this all put behind us as fast as possible so that we can begin rebuilding. And I will be looking into what wards Albus used on the school to secure our location for the time being. While a lot of _them_ have been captured, quite a bit of Death Eaters managed to escape."

"OH!" Kat yelled, making the crowd jump. "Grandfather!" The group stared as the young witch ran from the room without another word.

Fred appeared confused for a second but then his eyes narrowed. "I forgot that Snape had explained that part. Apparently Dumbledore isn't really dead, just sleeping."

"WHAT?" Fred began to explain the little information he had on the subject and surprisingly McGonagall did not seem happy, she was downright pissed. "That conniving, deceitful, manipulative man! No wonder Katerina was so stressed the months before that man 'died'. Oh I cannot wait to wake his arse up so I can put him right back into the bloody ground."

"Hey Freddie, I think we found where Kat gets her violent streak from," George laughed. Kat had returned and walked slowly up to her grandmother, her hair deep green and a vial of cloudy blue potion. McGonagall pulled Kat away from the group. Minutes later both McGonagall and Kat were crying and hugging and they returned to the collection of wizards and witches.

"I think we'll deal with that meddling old man in the morning," McGonagall said with a smirk. "He can sleep one more night. If everyone who is able to can help me clear out the Great Hall, I think we'll sleep here for the night until we figure out something a bit more permanent." It took hours to clean up the hall, have the bodies removed and placed into a secure location, and figure out who would be staying at Hogwarts and who would be returning to their homes. Some of the people who were in the battle went and retrieved their loved ones who could not fight in the battle. The teachers who were able to, started to transfigure beds and blankets and arrange them around the hall. By the time everything was ready most of those who stayed were falling asleep on their feet.

"What needs to be done next?" Hermione asked through a yawn.

"I think we relax," Charlie said, pulling Hermione back into his arms. "We've done enough for the day, love." Everyone agreed with him and most were asleep by the time their heads hit the pillows.

* * *

Kat woke up with her face pushed into a warm chest and strong arms wrapped around her. She moved slightly and was shocked to feel another body behind her. She opened her eyes when she heard a deep chuckle from above the bed she was on. "I knew you two wanted to get wild and celebrate, but this is a bit much." She moved her head to glare at Bill who was glancing on both sides of her. She glanced over and saw that on her right, the side that she had been cuddled up on, was Fred still blissfully asleep. Rolling over she was stunned to find George, also sound asleep, and being the little spoon to Angelina.

"Wow, I had a foursome and can't even remember it," Kat laughed. "Oh thank Merlin they all have clothes on." Bill just shook his head and started to walk away.

"Wake them up, breakfast is ready."

Kat decided to wake them up the old fashioned way – pure terror and pranking. She transformed into her Shedu, wiggled her eyes at Bill who laughed again, and Kat roared. She heard multiple screams and lots of laughter as both Fred and Angelina fell off the bed and George screeched like a small girl. _Breakfast is ready_. Kat used mindspeak to bellow to the room.

"Katerina Dumbledore that is not how you wake someone!" Ginny screamed from across the room.

 _First off, it's Weasley. Secondly, why not? It worked didn't it?_

"There is something seriously wrong with you," Ginny shook her head at the large lioness.

"Speaking of which, you never let anyone examine you last night," Hermione glared at the cat who was now licking a laughing Fred. Kat transformed back into a human and nodded at Hermione.

"I'll let you do all that after breakfast," Kat jumped off of Fred and grabbed Hermione's hand. "First things first, you I do believe owe me five galleons." She laughed as Hermione began to stutter. "I told you it wasn't a once-off. A dragon tamer – yummy."

"OI! That's my brother!" Fred yelled. The girls laughed again as they walked to the table where everyone was beginning to fill their plates.

"Not my fault I'm the better looking brother," Charlie smirked as he wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulders and kissed her cheek. Kat heard him whisper, "Definitely not a once-off love. I'm never letting you go again." She giggled as Hermione blushed and turned her head into his shoulder.

"So Freddie and I were thinking,"

"That we need to celebrate,"

"The boy-who-never-dies,"

"The know-it-all,"

"And Ronnikins,"

"So tonight,"

"We party!"

"When are you two going to grow out of that?" Ron asked the grinning twins who responded simultaneously with "NEVER!"

"Today the ministry is sending out Aurors to take official statements on what happened yesterday. They will probably be asking for memories from everyone as well. I would like Katerina to come with me to wake up my pain in the arse husband before they arrive. I'm also going to start cataloging the damages done to the castle. I would be grateful to anyone who would be willing to help. Otherwise, you are free to go when the Aurors have finished their questioning. And yes, Mr. and Mr. Weasley you may have your party but for the love of all things magical, do not destroy the castle any more than it has already been." Grandmother already looked exhausted and they had only just woken up. "I have heard from the elves that all the dormitories except for the Slytherin rooms are untouched and safe for usage as are the guest suites. We will be assigning those rooms to whomever stays behind to help."

The first day after the war was extremely stressful. Many people had to stop working or talking to just breathe or cry or in some cases scream. There was an extremely tense moment when Harry and Sirius both had to be restrained from hitting Albus Dumbledore himself and that was after he had been slapped by his own wife for how he had used Katerina in the war. Eventually he was forgiven, if snidely by Harry and Sirius, after Katerina had defended her grandfather's decisions. Kat noticed that many of the couples did not go far from one another and if you needed one you only had to know where the other was. Fred was no different, well except that George also would not leave his side and Angelina would not leave George's. This wouldn't be a problem if Kat hadn't had extremely important information that she wanted only Fred to know first.

"George, love, we aren't going to die," George snorted. "Ok, we aren't going to die _again_. Can I please have a minute _alone_ with your brother? I'm sure Angelina would love to show you how much she appreciates that you lived."

"You don't understand Kat," George's voice cracked. "I _lost_ you both. At the same fucking time. I may not be your Soulmate but I can't bloody live without you two." Fred blinked away tears and grabbed his brother into a tight hug.

"We couldn't live without you either," Kat smiled at him. "Love you Georgie."

"Hey, just give us a minute, mate," Fred said pulling away from George. "Haven't been alone with my witch in a while and well I love you man, but I don't share very well." George nodded and then grabbed both their arms as if to make sure that they truly were there and alive. Kat kissed his cheek and pushed him to Angelina who quickly grabbed his hand and winked at Kat as she dragged him out of the hallway. Fred took no time to push Kat against the wall, crashing his lips to hers and pulling her legs up to wrap around his waist. "I am so bloody happy you are here and alive. I love you so much Katerina Weasley." Fred ground his hips into her and smirked when she moaned. "Insatiable witch."

"Wait," Kat pulled away but her thoughts were stopped again when Fred's hands found her breasts. "Fred, love, stop. I have to tell you something. Oh Godric, right there. I mean dammit, Fred stop!"

"But I don't want to," Fred whined. "Remember our deal? Firewhiskey, no charms, crazy baby making frenzy?"

"We don't need to."

"You don't want to? But I thought…" Kat put her fingers to his mouth to shut him up and then gave him a mischievous smile. She took one of his hands and gently placed it on her stomach. "Wait? Are you? ARE YOU?" Kat nodded and laughed when Fred whooped with glee and spun her in a circle. "How?"

"I'm not entirely sure actually, haven't been checked out, but Severus was the one that told me about _them_." Kat winked as Fred's eyes widened even more.

"THEM? TWINS? This is the best day of my life! Hurry, come on, Hermione was in the Great Hall it's closer than the hospital wing. Bloody hell, you were fighting while pregnant! Oh gods and then we bloody died! What if something is wrong with them?! Hurry! Wait strike that, come here, you aren't walking." Kat giggled as Fred picked her up and cradled her body to his as he ran down the hall. "HERMIONE!" Fred bellowed as they entered the hall.

"What? Oh my God, Fred is she alright? What happened?" Hermione's voice got higher and higher as she ran towards them, getting the attention of Charlie who also rushed over.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Kat laughed and waved away the others in the hall. "Fred love put me down."

"Hermione you need to give Kat a full diagnostic check-up." Hermione nodded and started waving her wand in front of Katerina. She let out a gasp of surprise and stared at Kat's stomach.

"What's going on Fred?" Charlie asked his voice full of concern now.

"So? Are they ok?"

"Are who ok? What the hell is going on?" Charlie yelled.

"T-t-they're f-f-fine." Hermione stammered. "Oh my God! YOU WERE FIGHTING PREGNANT?"

"PREGNANT?" Charlie bellowed. "YOU LET HER FIGHT PREGNANT? YOU BOTH BLOODY DIED AND SHE WAS FUCKING PREGNANT?"

"We didn't know about the pregnancy Charlie, please stop yelling," Kat said softly placing her hand gently on the furious redhead. "Hermione, how far along am I?"

"About six weeks I'd say."

"So Shell Cottage…when I woke up," Kat smirked. She turned to Charlie. "Bill said that you were my mediwizard of sorts. Let me guess that you gave me a Blood Replenisher and a Muscle Relaxant." Charlie nodded. "Do you know what those two do when combined with a yearly Contraceptive Potion?" Charlie shook his head while realization dawned on Hermione. "They make it null and void. These two munchins are kind of your fault."

"I'm sorry, I didn't – wait TWO?" Charlie laughed and grabbed Kat, swinging her around.

"What is with all the screaming?" Bill asked as he walked up with the remaining Weasley siblings and Harry.

Fred was bouncing up and down obviously trying not to scream out the news. Kat laughed as he begged her with his eyes to let him tell them all. Kat nodded and Fred whooped again. "Babies! I'm going to be a dad! There are MY babies growing in her!" He bounced again pointing at Kat's stomach. "Georgie! TWINS! My amazing, beautiful, sexy witch is going to have twins! MY TWINS!"

"Babies?"

"Oh Merlin!"

"TWINS?"

"That's amazing you guys!"

"Ew! Angie and I were in the bed with you guys!"

"WHAT?"

"George, no she was pregnant before the battle, at Shell Cottage," Hermione laughed.

"YOU. LET. HER. FIGHT. WHILE. PREGNANT?!" George screamed hitting Fred with each word.

"Ow, ow, stop it George, stop hitting me dammit." Fred ducked another hit. "Why does everyone keep yelling at me for that? We didn't know she was pregnant!"

"Pregnant…babies…we're having babies!" George laughed and twirled Kat around.

"How many times am I going to be spun in circles? I'm going to puke on you! And they are not yours!"

"Kit-Kat, love, you've known us since we were six. Fred and I share everything, they're mine also!" George put her down and started to rub her stomach. He laughed again when Kat smacked his hand.

Kat walked over to Fred who automatically wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "I love you Fred Weasley."

"And I love you, Katerina Weasley." He gently kissed her lips and then kneeled down. "And we both love you two, Mini-Weasleys."

"This is going to be a good year." Ginny said, smiling at her family.

"No," Harry shook his head, pulling Ginny close to him. "This is going to be a good life."

 **THE END**


	26. A Note from the Author

Thank you everyone who has taken the time to read my story. I really hope you enjoyed watching the relationship between Kat and Fred grow and evolve. I truly enjoyed writing it.

Now for those who wished that Severus had a happier ending: This was not my original ending for this story. I fell completely in love with Fred and Kat and I just had to give him at least one happy ending (just to see how it would work out). I have an alternate ending for this story that is filled with sadness, drama, love, and of course, some singing. I wanted to see how this version was received before posting the alternate.

So if anyone is interested: Back From the Ledge ALTERNATE ENDING

The alternate ending begins after chapter 24 and completely ignores chapter 25 (Neverland and Second Chances).

Thanks again for reading!


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